HER 345 DESCRIPTION:- Scheduled Monument Description:- The monument, which falls into six areas of protection divided by the lines of the A429 and A436, as well as a housing estate and the River Windrush, consists of the largely buried remains of a Roman settlement stretching along both sides of the Foss Way, 800m to the west of the village of Bourton-on-the-Water. The monument lies in areas of open ground to the east and west of the A429, and to the west of the A436 which joins the Foss Way at Bourton. The Roman settlement is thought to have grown up between the crossing point of the Foss Way over the River Windrush, and the junction of the Foss with Buckle Street 150m to the north of the ford. Material recovered from the area of the settlement indicates that the site was founded during the late C1 to early C2 and continued to be occupied into the early C5. Excavations along both sides of the Foss Way have revealed evidence for a number of structures and other features, including the Roman ford, which lay beneath the modern road bridge. In 1959 H O'Neil's investigations to the west of the road in the area of the C19 railway embankment revealed what is thought to have been a posting-house (mansio or mutatio), while to the east of the road evidence for three other structures was also revealed and interpreted as a wayside shrine, a bakehouse and a 'transport cafe'. To the south of the bridge there is further evidence for Roman occupation and activity. To the east of the Foss Way, excavations by Renfrew in the 1970s revealed a number of circular structures, a wall, a ditch and the remains of what is thought to have been an industrial area. To the west of the road evidence for occupation has been found in the form of a building excavated by O'Neil in the late 1950s, along with numerous finds of coins and pottery and a hoard of 2707 Constantinian folles discovered in 1970. Work during the 1970s and 1990s has also indicated the lines of two roads, one on either side of the river, running east from the ford towards Salmonsbury Camp. Evidence for structures lining the northern road was also found, but as this area has been developed, it is not included in the scheduling. A number of features are excluded; these are all wooden and post and wire fences, gates and gateposts, telegraph poles and associated supports, road signs, modern service boxes, the motoring organisation emergency telephone box, all tarmac and gravel surfaces and modern structures associated with Whiteshoots Garage, culverts and water management features along the course of the River Windrush and brick revetting and earthworks associated with the C19 railway embankment, the ground beneath all these features is, however, included. {Source Work 2873.} 1875 - The site of a Roman building, probably a Posting House, was discovered in 1875 during gravel digging about 90m from Bourton Bridge. A ruinous length of wall was still visible in this pit in 1936 (see plan). {Source Work 862 and 1227.} 1875-1881 - Further discoveries were made between 1875 and 1881 during construction of the railway across the site, when a great deal of Roman material, some now in Cheltenham Museum was collected by Dr John Moore. No plans were made of the buildings uncovered then, but Witts map shows a building with wings facing southeast, close to Fosse Way. {Source Work 862 and 1227.} 1958-1968 - Various excavations at the Bourton Bridge settlement site between 1958-68. Romano-British pottery, metalwork and other finds from settlement site excavated 1958 to 1968. Roman coin of Fausina Senior also found, but details of how found not given. Archives at the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum include a site report and notes. {Source Works 7408 and 1227.} 1967 - Roman remains were identified during demolition of the railway bridge and road widening in 1966 to 1967, and the site was excavated by H O'Neil in 1967. Mrs O'Neil found lengths of wall, believed to be part of the Posting House, beneath the modern road (see plan sites 11 and 12 {Source Work 862} and masonry was discovered 0.53 m below ground level further south (see plan site 13 and 14 {Source Work 862.} A possible stable block (see plan site 9 {Source Work 862}) was uncovered north of the Posting House. It measured 8.84m x 9.14m with a partly paved and partly cobbled floor and had a forge built against the south wall. {Source Works 862, 1227 and 1199.} Appears to have been given two separate numbers by Historic England, equating to both [HE Event 646462] and [HE Event 633643] {Source Work 4249.} Field under pasture and no indications of buildings could be seen. 1970 - The large building at the Bourton Bridge settlement recorded in the late 19th century was recorded as a villa. It is speculated that this may have been a corridor house within a general review of small towns within Roman Britain. {Source Work 10548.} 1970 - A hoard of Roman period coins was discovered in March 1970 at the rear of the remains of a small Roman house as one of a number alongside the Fosse Way at Bourton-on-the-Water. This was composed of 2760 coins dating between 306 and 318 AD and was recovered from a hole in the ground. {Souce Work 3162.} 1971-1974 - Excavations carried out at Bourton Bridge between 1971 and 1974 by C. Renfrew. The work identified two phases of Romano-British occupation, including ditches, a cobbled surface, one circular and possibly two rectangular stone buildings. {Source Work 1860.} 1975 - Excavation at Bourton Bridge by T O'Leary and S Roskams. "No published references found, information came from excavators & fiche copy of archive. MSS held by RCHME is an archive preliminary report. Please note: the Colin Renfrew indexed as a finds holder for this investigation is now deceased and is not the individual later to become Professor Lord Renfrew of Cambridge University. (Prof. C Renfrew. Letter 20. 9. 04.).....Archive Holder: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England; Archive Holder: National Monuments Record Centre". {Source Work 4249.} 1976 - The excavation reported in C Renfrew's Bourton-on-the-Water settlement (1976) report was extended 15m to the northeast to reveal a circular stone-walled building 6.5m in diameter. The building was floored with irregular patches of clay, ash (possibly from an industrial process) and gravel on stone. Outside a straight wall ran at a tangent with the intervening corner being used as a dump for 2nd century pottery. (Finds from Colin Renfrew's excavations are now in Gloucester City Museum). {Source Work 1032.} 1978 - A well, 0.45m in diameter and 0.87m deep and with a stone perimeter was located to the south of the circular building found in 1976. Overlaid with the circumference wall and stone floor of the building, 8 alternate layers of gravel and dark grey silt were found with a another stone flagged surface underneath. These belong to an earlier phase but there were few dateable features. A trench to the east produced much pottery dating mostly to the 2nd century. {Source Work 738.} 1979 - Some distance to the east of the previous excavation a road 5m wide with ditches on both sides, each 2.5m from the edges of the road, were uncovered. To the north east a very substantial, almost circular stone foundation was also found. An enamelled brooch was also found. {Source Work 1033.} 1981 - Excavations adjacent to the Fosse Way revealed the substantial stone walls of two circular buildings, a stone rectangular surface with kerbed perimeter, a well constructed crescent wall 5m long with a radius of 3m, a 5m wide road between ditches at 10m centres. One of the ditches produced large quantities of 1st and 2nd century pottery (including an Iron Age pot, globular and other 1st century wares, a copy of Samian form 27 with a black matt surface, a large grey vessel similar to Collingwood 83a, a vessel with a spout below the rim and a self-coloured colander.) The iron items include a drop handle, a tripod candle stick, a spear, styli, keys and a harpoon-shaped object with a shank to receive a handle. Objects of bronze include a fish hook, a lead weight, a stylus, a trumpet brooch and a circular brooch. Finds are in the possession of the excavator. {Source Work 1041.} 1971-c.1981 - The excavations above (by C Renfrew between 1971 and c.1981) were recorded as [HE Event 633656] within the Historic England National Record of the Historic Environment. Additional information from that record, formerly held within the AMIE database, is quoted below: "Archive ref: O'Neil archive plan 73, section 72 & notes etc by her. Finds accession no: 37/1977. Please note: the Colin Renfrew responsible for this investigation is now deceased and is not the individual later to become Professor Lord Renfrew of Cambridge University. (Prof. C Renfrew. Letter 20. 9. 04.)." {Source Work 4249.} 1985 - Trenches constructed for a proposed drainage scheme immediately north of Bourton Bridge were recorded by Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service. Immediately adjacent to the scheduled area over 1m of complex stratigraphy was observed, including a paved road or floor surface, pits, postholes and layes of ash and charcoal. Roman pottery and fuel ash were collected from the section. Layers containing Roman pottery were also observed to the south of the scheduled area alongside the Fosse Way (HER 6561). {Source Works 735 and 2519.} Equates to [HE Event - 653386] {Source Work 4249.} 1988 - A site visit was made by Jan Wills of Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service in conection with a development within the scheduled area. Works are in progress on the corner plot, a garage, between the B4068 and the A429 just outside Bourton. The north eastern end of the garage plot has been levelled, and a trench several metres long by c0.5m deep has been dug adjacent to the north western boundary of the site. The overall nature of these works is uncertain and no planning application has been made. {Source Work 484.} 1999 - An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service on 12/11/1999 in connection with an application for scheduled monument consent. One trench was excavated and no finds or features of archaeological significance were recorded. The site archive has been deposited at Corinium Museum, Cirencester under Accession Number 2001/22. {Source Work 5415.} 2000 - A desk-based assessment was carried out by Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service in the southwestern part of Green Lake Playing Field, The Cotswold School between 9th-11th May 2000. This was at the request of English Heritage, in order to assess the impact of a proposed pipeline which, will, in part, affect the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The assessment has established that significant archaeological deposits are present within the area of of the proposed pipeline, and it is recommended that further archaeological work is carried out in order to produce a scheme to mitigate the impact of the proposals. {Source Work 5723.} 2000 - An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service between12/06/2000 and 16/06/2000 in connection with the proposed route of a pipeline. Five trenches were excavated. Roman deposits were identified in all of them at depths varying from 0.3m to 1.1m below present ground level. Romano-British features identified included a wall, three ditches, two of which were parallel to the Foss Way and a series of layers including some indicating some form of industrial process had been undertaken in the vicinity. {Source Work 5846.} 2000 - A pottery assessment has provided more accurate dating evidence for the deposits recorded during the evaluation carried out by Gloucestershire County Council during June 2000. The earliest phases of activity dates to the late 1st and early 2nd century, with two ditches in trench 1 dating from this earliest phase. Further 2nd century activity was recorded in trenches 2 and 3. The latest phases of activity date to the 4th century and the pottery evidence provides a terminus post quem for several deposits and a wall in trench 2. {Source Work 5907.} 2000 - During 2000, a metal detecting incident took place within the scheduled area, the finds (a copper alloy Hare and Hound type knife handle; a copper alloy bracelet, a lead coin and 35 copper alloy coins - all Roman) were reported under the Portable Antiquities scheme. Further details under Area Management and in site file. {Source Work 484.} 2001 - Fieldwalking carried out by a workman at Slaughter Farm in April 2001 produced a range of Romano-British pottery, including samian and mortaria, and a probable loom weight. The finds came from the part of the scheduled area adjacent to Brickyard Coppice. See site file for photographs. {Source Work 484.} Misc:- Romano-British settlement with probable mansion. Occupation 1st-early 5th century. {Source Work 1227.} Many coins from Marcus Aurelius to Constans also 23 minimissimi . Roman villa site - Bourton Bridge villa had flagged floor, pottery, animal bones, coins, wall-plaster, well, spindle-whorl, ring, bracelets, bone pins, handle, iron tools, querns. Two lead tanks or cisterns. {Source Work 1383.} Four periods of occupation identified; earliest about AD120 onwards, then rebuilding during 3rd century; destruction by fire in AD270; site derelict for a time; AD370 - building remodelled, possibly only a restricted area occupied. Repairs made about 390 - building probably occupied in 5th century.{Source Work 1392.} Part of the Bourton Settlement complex which extends into the adjacent parish at Bourton Bridge. On pasture. {Source Work 470.} Gravels by river or stream heavily developed in the Roman period, retain evidence of Iron Age occupation (HER 342) (as) ... at Bourton (where areas of settlement probably grew up along some Roman roads in a kind of ribbon development (p xliv). Extends into Aston Blank parish, over a length of some 500 yards southwest from Bourton Bridge Structures include masonry walls. Pottery includes amphorae, samian and late Roman wares. Recorded coins are from Gallienus to Magnentius. 2003 - The nail cleaner recovered by H O'Neil's excavations reported in the local Transactions is identified as one of the bone disc type of this class of implement within a general review (with ID number 182). No dating is suggested for the particular context and the type is noted elsewhere in the county and hence HER. {Source Work 10531.} AREA ASSESSMENT :- No plough damage.{Source Work 470.} (PRNs 8656, 8658 and 8671 plus 'Finds:Cheltenham Museum' and 'Archive, HBMC? notes;plans;ms;copy NMR' listed on SMR Amendment sheet but not verified.) 2014 A desk based assessment established that the site falls within the Scheduled Monument of Bourton Bridge Roman Settlement and is known to contain extensive archaeological deposits of recognised national importance. Parts of the study site in the south west and north east were excavated in the 1970s and 1980s. The excavations identified a number of stone built structures, a road, boundary walls and ditches and wells but the majority of these investigations were not excavated stratagraphically and were very poorly recorded. However, it is clear that there is considerable evidence for occupation of the site between the late 1st to early 2nd century through to the early 5th century. {Source Work 12640.} 2014 Gradiometry, ground penetrating radar and resistance surveys were conducted over approximately 1 hectare of grassland. The survey identified a Roman road and stoned area located by previous excavations. A probable former enclosure, a former field boundary and areas of ridge and furrow cultivation have also been identified. A number of possible archaeological anomalies, including features possibly relating to former structures, have been identified; however it is not possible to determine their origin with any degree of confidence. The remaining anomalies are of modern origin, relating to ferrous objects and fencing. {Source Work 12641.} 2017 - An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology on 24th to 27th July 2017 at Hazelton, Whiteshoots Hill, Bourton-on-the-Water. Seven trenches, some of which were targeted on anomalies identified by a preceding geophysical survey, were excavated. A pit containing Late Iron Age or Early Roman (2nd century BC to 1st century AD) pottery was identified in the north-western part of the site. Five further sherds of residual Late Iron Age or Early Roman pottery were recovered from the fill of a later Roman ditch, also identified in the north-western part of the site. Pottery of mid 1st to 2nd-century AD date was recovered from a small pit/posthole identified in the north-western part of the site and it is possible that two similar pits/postholes, also identified in this part of the site, are broadly contemporary. Two ditches identified in the south-western part of the site confirmed the presence of linear anomalies identified by the preceding geophysical survey and may form part of a series of enclosures/plot boundaries aligned perpendicular to the Fosse Way. Finds recovered from a these ditches confirm that they are of Roman (most likely of 2nd-century AD or later) date. Two further ditches of broad Roman date were identified towards the south-eastern boundary of the site during the current evaluation and may also form part of this postulated network of plot boundaries, along with three ditches identified during a preceding phase of evaluation undertaken at the site. A ditch, identified in the north-western part of the site, may represent part of a further plot/enclosure boundary, however pottery recovered from this ditch suggests that it may be of an earlier, mid to late 1st-century AD, date. A pit, a pit/ditch terminal and a posthole containing pottery of 2nd to 4th-century AD date were identified towards the south-eastern boundary of the site and an, albeit undated, hearth also identified in this part of the site may be broadly contemporary. These features are suggestive of activity taking place within the postulated network of plot boundaries; however the precise nature of this activity remains unclear. Two compact stony deposits containing pottery of broad Roman date were identified in the south-central and north-eastern parts of the site and may represent plough disturbed dumps of demolition material. A wall and an associated limestone surface were identified towards the south-western corner of the site during the preceding evaluation; however, no further evidence of stone-built structures was recorded by the current evaluation. An artefactually undated pit of indeterminate function was identified cutting a ditch and posthole of Roman date in the south-western corner of the site and may therefore be of Late Roman or later date {Source Work 14894.} 2018 - An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology between 13th February and 2nd August 2018 during groundworks associated with the removal of a temporary access trackway on land at The Cotswold School, Bourton-on-the-Water. No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during the groundworks and no artefactual material was recovered {Source Work 15321.} 2019 - This monument was previously recorded within the Historic England National Record of the Historic Environment. That record, formerly held within the AMIE database, is quoted below: “330382 (SP 12 SE 7) - (SP 16052103) The site of a Roman building, probably a Posting House, was discovered in 1875 during gravel digging about 100 yds from Bourton Bridge. A ruinous length of wall was still visible in this pit in 1936 (See SP 12 SE 1 - Plan 2 site 22). Further discoveries were made between 1875 and 1881 during the construction of a railway across the site, when a great deal of Roman material, some now in Cheltenham Museum, was collected by Dr. John Moore. No plans were made of the buildings uncovered then, but Witts' map shows a building with wings facing SE, close to the Foss Way. During demolition of the railway bridge and road widening in 1966-7 Mrs O'Neil found lengths of wall, believed to be part of the Posting House, beneath the modern road (Sites 11 & 12), and masonry was discovered 21 inches below ground level further to the south (Sites 13 & 14). A possible stable block (Site 2) was uncovered to the north of the Posting House. It measured 29ft by 30ft with a partly paved and partly cobbled floor, and had a forge built against the south wall. (1) The field is under pasture and no indications of buildings could be seen. (2)” {Source Work 4249.} 763779 (SP 12 SE 54) - SP 159208. Excavations carried out by Renfrew between 1971 and 1985 identified a Romano-British settlement. Two phases of occupation, from AD 70 to AD140, and from AD 270 to AD 380 were recorded. Excavated features included circular stone buildings, some possibly religious, subsequently replaced by rectangular structures. Some of these structures have been identified as possible workshops. A road visible on APs was also excavated. Late Iron Age pottery was recovered but no known associated structures were identified. (1-5) {Source Work 4249.} |