HER 647 DESCRIPTION:-

The forum with its basilica (HER 645) has been known since 1897 and is the largest in Roman Britain outside London. A smaller market has been located adjacent to it, as well as many houses and shops. It is probable that a reorganisation of provincial administration by Diocletian involved the promotion of Corinium to capital of the new province of Britannia Prima around A.D. 300; if so, the residence of the provincial governor was here.

Much rebuilding took place. The most notable projects known are the division and enlargement of the forum, and the reconstruction of the adjacent market building. At present only very limited evidence is available concerning the end of Roman Cirencester. It seems from the dearth of rubbish and coins on the worn floor of the forum that this public place was maintained and cleaned until well into 5th century. {Source Work 403.}

The Forum of Roman Corinium was first revealed in 1937 although it was postulated in 1897 by W Cripps that the Forum would be located to the north-west of the basilica, which was partially excavated in that year. {Source Work 1584.}

Excavations by Wacher in 1963 found a piazza 107 metres long by (an estimated) 84 metres wide to the northwest of the basilica. It was surrounded on at least two sides by a range of rooms with internal and external verandas. {Source Work 4781.}

Beecham, on his map of 1911, marks' Foundations' outside the later Regal Cinema site, Lewis Lane, presumably representing the Roman forum remains. {Source Work 8700 & 8695.}

Various sections of the forum have been revealed over the years of investigation. The SMR mapping shows the projected outline of the forum based the known sections. The events relating to the finding of these section appear on the mapping as trenches or areas of ground intervention. {Pers. Comm. R Smith 10/05/2007.}

1853 - Recorded observation at Lewis Lane in 1853 included a massive wall and large square column. An article in the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Standard dating to 14/05/1853 recorded the finding. Whilst digging foundations "the workmen came upon a massive Roman wall...There was a large square column, consisting of four stones only, standing near... A few coins were also found, a short bone handle...on which is engraved one or two ornaments of a simple character." The exact location of these remains and the event is unknown. {Source Work 8695 & 8975.}

Due to the proximity to the Roman forum, it is likely that these remains represent part of the forum. {Pers. comm. R Smith 06/06/2007/}

?1898 - According to a letter from Helen Cripps to Haverfield: "twenty years ago foundations were uncovered on the north side of the Lewis Lane looking down Tower Street right across where the road was supposed to be until the uncovering of the basilica showed it must be further west." Finds here apparently included glass, in quantity, and Cripps suggests it may have been a shop site. {Source Work 8695 & 8729.}

The location of this observation may corrolate with the site of the forum although this is not conclusive in anyway as the exact location of the feature is not recorded. {Pers. comm. R Smith 11/06/2007.}

1918-1920 - The Roman period forum at Cirencester is briefly noted in a review of Cirencester's history. It is implied that the forum occupies the a previous tribal market place. {Source Work 10134.}

Feb 1937 - Two trenches were excavated by WC Priestly and AJ Matthews (SMR 8897) at the lower end of the ground of Chester House adjacent to the Avenue in advance of construction work at the new cinema. Work thereafter seems to have continued to the northwest nearer Lewis Lane, although little record of the discoveries now remains and no formal report was ever published. The northwest wing of the forum was identified. {Source Work 476 & 4926.}

April 1937 - From written correspondence, photographs and newspaper accounts, it is clear that in April 1937 a geometric mosaic pavement was found beneath the present site of the cinema in Cirencester. This was evidently part of the same pavement found in the late 19th century and which Wacher later examined in 1963. {Source Work 4926.}

The mosaic is listed as Mosaic No. 53 in the catalogue of mosaics complied initially by Haverfield. The mosaic is described as 'Geometris, 'all-over meander'. {Source Work 296.}

May 1937 - A large wall was found which can now be recognised as the partition wall within the courtyard discovered in 1963. During this event at the site of the Forum in Lewis Lane, a fragment of inscription on Purbeck marble was found, unstratified, with other fragments (not inscribed) from the same slab. The inscribed fragment includes the lettering 'ET INS RJES PVBULICA'. The artefact is now in Corinium Museum. {Source Work 69, 3403, 476, 8695, 8946, 3403 & 4926.}

1937 - "Knob pottery" found on New Picture House site in October 1937. Now in Corinium Museum {Source Work 476.}

1963 - Excavation in this area (SMR 17628, Excavation archive number AYI-XIII) was split between two unequal parts: the smaller, south-east end, within the Forum courtyard; and the larger part, immediately adjacent to it on the north-west side, extended as far as Lewis Lane, so as to examine a strip extending across the entire area of the Forum. Further details of this excavation season can be found within the source work. {Source Work 858.}

Two areas excavated, a small area in the centre of the forum, flagstones in concrete mortar and an area found to cover an earlier cambered street. Buildings with pottery of Neronian period suggesting connections with vicus of the auxiliary fort (SMR 413). The mosaic and marble veneer show the building to be internally splendid. {Source Work 476.}

One mosaic floor in the colonnade made of geometric patterns was partially uncover "some fifty years ago then reburied" (i.e. 1910s). {Source Work 8695 & 858.}

1963 - In 1963 J.S. Wacher excavated thirteen small trenches within the area of the Forum (SMR 647) in Insula I. The forum contained a courtyard approximately 103 metres long, an outer and inner portico and a range of small rooms. No firm dating evidence has been found for the Forum. Consequently, it has been attributed the same approximate date range as the accompanying Basilica (SMR 645) - constructed in the early second century and disused in the fourth century.

Mosaics were laid within the Forum during the fourth century, mostly displaying geometric patterns. {Source Work 4926.}.

1963 "Two areas excavated:

1) small area in the centre of the forum, flagstones in concrete mortar;

2) area found to cover earlier cambered street. Buildings with pottery of Neronian period, suggesting connections with vicus of the auxiliary fort. Antiq J xliii, 3 : xliii, 15. Mosaic pavement - Gazetteer no. 60. Site CIR63Y." {Quoted from Source Work 476.}

"Mosaic and marble veneer show building to internally splendid." {Source Work 157.}

1967 - A trench dug along the north side of the Avenue in 1967 on either side of the main north-south street between Insulae I and II. In Insula I, the wall supporting the outer colonnade on the west side of the Forum was found where is was supposed by Wacher in 1961. In its final phase a mortar rendered top similar to the colonnade wall of Insula II. In Insula II, an attempt to trace the massive internal colonnade wall of the market hall along the northeast side produced inconclusive results. {Source Work 2841, 3774, 476 & 5673.}

1968 - David Brown located a wall of the portico which bordered the forum on its south-western side in 1968. {Source Work 4926.}

1997 - An evaluation (SMR 29273) was undertaken in advance of the proposed re-development of the cinema led to the excavation of six small trenches by A Barber of Cotswold Archaeology Trust. The excavation revealed features in the north-west and north-east ranges of the forum, and street D to the north-east. A mosaic was revealed, located at a depth of 2.25 meters below present (1997) ground level. The mosaic was geometric pattern of conjoined rectangles and squares made up of grey tesserae. There was some noticable wear and the mosaic was truncated by modern service pipes. Various wall and floor levels were revealed during the evaluation that have been interpreted as compnants of the forum. In trench 3, two insitu Roman floor levels were identified located below a wall footing containing mortared limestoone blocks, but no associated floor, A further mortared wall, six courses high, was associated with an internal floor. The wall contained pottery dating to AD240 - 400. In trench 4, the outer wall of the forum was identified (and had been robbed to the top of the footing). A second length of wall abutting the first was interpreted as a possible external step possibly a componant of an entrabce into the forum. {Source Work 4599.}

A pavement at a similar point to the mosaic in trench 1 was marked on a plan drawn by Lysons in 1817, which may suggest that this or part of this mosaic was revealed or known of in the 19th century. {Source Work 153 & pers. comm. R Smith 12/06/2007.}

1998 - A piece of archaeological recording (SMR 29274) was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeological Trust at 8 Tower Street, Cirencester in April. Whilst undertaking building work in the cellar contractors uncovered a length of substantial wall running under the house on a north-north-west/south-south-east alignment. After it had been hand cleaned, a cross wall running off in a west south west was revealed. The main wall was 0.85m wide and at least 0.5m deep. The cross wall was 0.75m wide. They survived to at least five courses and were made of mortared limestone. Some artefactual material was recovered from the area. The walls were roughly faced and would therefore appear to be those of upper foundations. If their location is plotted against the postulated plan of the Roman forum they seem to represent the north east wall of the inner portico and a cross wall dividing it. {Source Work 5433.}

2004 - Courtyard surfacing associated with the Roman Forum were identified during an evaluation on land off Coach House Mews, Cirencester (SMR 27130). The postulated ground plan of the Roman Forum indicates that the proposed development area lies close to the centre of the courtyard. The poor state of preservation of the sandstone flags is consistent with other recorded observations within the Forum. Exacavation revealed a sequence of courtyard surfaces and associated make up/bedding deposits with a limestone rubble make-up into which red and green pennant sandstone flagstones were bedded. These layers were dated to the mid 4th century, the Forum's final phase of remodelling. {Source Work 7865.}

2004 - To the west of the Avenue site, watching brief (SMR 27622) undertaken during July 2004, was thought to be the central wall on the eastern side of the Roman forum was excavated. The wall was made from roughly hewn limestone and was very closely jointed. It was aligned roughly north to south. The visible remains were 1.32m in length, 0.47m in width and survived to a height of 0.32m above the base of the trench at a level of 108.842m OD. Within the storm drain trench 2m to the west of the wall Roman deposits were recorded and interpreted as a rubble spread associated with the abandonment of the forum. This deposit was encountered at a depth of 108.338m OD. {Source Work 8069.}

2004 - The outer wall of the north west range of the forum was recorded during a 2004-2006 watching brief by Oxford Archaeology. It was aligned nort heast to south west, measured 1.6m in width and was faced on the south east side. Four further walls were identified during the course of the watching brief. Two parallel walls on a north east to south west alignment were recorded in the mains sewer connection trench. The first one measured 0.5m in width and was made up of limestone blocks, two courses of which survived. 0.55m to the sout heast was a more substantial wall measuring 0.9m in width and was dressed on both sides. A limestone cobble surface was recorded between the two walls. A north east to south west aligned wall was recorded in the mains water connection trench and was made up of faced limestone blocks and a north west to south east aligned wall was found during the digging of a trench for a new boundary wall. It measured 1m in width and probably formed part of the north east range of the forum. {Source Work 9080.}