Monument Type(s):

• TOWN DEFENCES (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Summary

The possible line of medieval town defences around Whitchurch, with surviving sections of ditch recorded in a number of excavations.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA4763 - 2001 WB at the car park at Castle Hill, Whitchurch by Giffords (Ref: B3790A)
• ESA6091 - 2006 DBA on land to rear of No. 5 Newtown, Whitchurch by Earthworks Archaeology
• ESA90 - 1993 Excavation and WB at Castle Hill, Whitchurch
• ESA88 - 1992 Evaluation at Castle Hill, Whitchurch by Gifford & Partners

Description

CMHTS Comment:- There are no published documentary references to town defences at Whitchurch but archaeological and topographical data suggest that they did exist:-
(1) To the west of the town 21m west of Newtown a large U shaped depression 5m wide containing one sherd of C15 pottery was observed. This was interpreted [<2>] as the truncated town ditch (PRN 02704).
(2) The turn of this ditch eastwards, as located at Castle Hill (ESA 88, ESA 90). The exavators interpreted this as the castle ditch, but this was based on the suggestion that consolidation of the side of the ditch would not have occurred in a town ditch and also that there was not enough rubbish in the fill for it to be a town ditch (see PRN 04623) [<3>]. Both these arguments seem to be based on a misunderstanding of the function of town ditches and have no validity.
(3) There is a distinct break in the plot boundaries between the High Street and Castle Hill (see PRN 05291, 05294, 05925). This connects St Mary's St with the turn in the excavated ditch discussed above and seems to mark the SE line of the town defences.
(4) St Mary's Street turns NW and forms the NE line of the defences. This line is carried on by the back of the medieval church yard. The town defences would have joined the castle defences at the junction of Sherry Mill Hill and Newtown and just to the W of Bargates. There would have been gates at these points therefore and probably one at the south end of the High Street. The date of the defences is not known but they may be contemporary with the laying out of the burgages fronting the High Street and perhaps date to the late C12 (see PRN 05919, 05920, 05921). Evidence from the excavation on Castle Street (PRN 05837) suggests that the ditch in this area finally backfilled some time after that late C13/ early C14 [<3>]. This fits with documentary evidence which indicates that Newtown was laid out (over the area of the defences) by 1400 [<4>]. The defences were probably a ditch and earth & timber rampart but large blocks of stone are found all over the town [<5>] and it is possible that they were rebuilt in stone. <1>

Excavation report on the ditch W of Newtown. <2>

In 1992, when carrying out the evaluation of a development site on Castle Hill, Giffords found a ditch containing C17 fill in their Trial Pit B, at SJ5410 4148. <3>

In 1993 Giffords carried out an excavation in advance of a road widening scheme on Castle Hill, at a site at SJ5412 4148. The excavation demonstrated that the ditch was of late C12 or C13 origin, with the C17 ditch fills found in 1992 representing part of the later ditch fills. It also confirmed the line of the ditch, turning northward at the edge of the excavated area. The ditch could be either a town ditch or the ditch of Whitchurch Castle (PRN 00904). The late C12 or C13 origin of the ditch and the lack of substantial rubbish deposition as is found in many town ditches led Giffords to suggest the ditch related to Whitchurch Castle. The full extent of the ditch was not recorded in the excavated area, but it was projected as being at least 12m wide and c.3m deep, below present ground level. ->

-> See also PRN 04623. <3a>

James' account of documentary evidence for Newtown. <4>

Giffords' survey of Whitchurch. <5>

CMHTS Report. <6>

Town's defences noted in a DBA on proposed residential development to the rear of the Herald Printers, No. 5 Newtown, Whitchurch. It is assumed that the medieval town was defended by ramparts and an outer ditch were later replaced by a stone wall. A link is suggested between this stone wall and stone blocks, potentially representing medieval masonry were recovered when the retaining wall of the Working Men's Club on Castle Hill collapased in the 1950s/60s (see PRN 05829). <7>

A watching brief was carried out on the construction of a car park in 2001 immediately north of the work on Castle Hill carried out in the 1990s. A ditch was recorded in 3 trenches excavated by contractors for water drainage sumps. A short section of N-S aligned ditch was recorded. This ditch could possibly be related to the section of ditch previously recorded, and could potentially relate to the Castle or town ditch (PRN 04623). A Roman (see PRN 05868) or Medieval date is suggested, although no dating evidence was recovered from the ditch fills. This feature could therefore be part of the town defences [although this is unlikely given its orientation <10>]. ->

-> This ditch was not fully excavated, but could possibly be c.8.5m-9m wide and 3m in depth. The natural sand and gravels vary in consistence from firm to fairly loose and waterlogged. The primary deposits of firm clay within this feature may be evidence for a clay lining to stabilise this ditch during construction. <9>

The course of, and investigation history of the medieval town defences was outlined in a heritage statement for the Herald Printworks (centered on SJ 5389 4169) in February 2017. This concludes that the projected course of the ditch appears to extend either below or in close proximity to the Herald Printers building. <11>

<01> Buteux Victoria, 1993/ 1996, CMHTS SMR Records Shropshire: Whitchurch, Whitchurch 5967 (Record form). SSA19975.

<02> Anon, 1978, Whitchurch Archaeological Group - Archaeological Investigations, p7 (Article in serial). SSA11698.

<03> Gifford and Partners Ltd, 1992, Archaeological Evaluation at Castle Hill, Whitchurch, Shropshire, p.25 (Excavation report). SSA3263.

<03a> Thompson A, 1993, Report on an Archaeological Excavation at Castle Hill, Whitchurch, Shropshire, p1-2 (Excavation report). SSA11723.

<04> James R B, 1984, Some Early Deeds with Burgages and Families in Whitchurch, p3 (Article in serial). SSA11719.

<05> Gifford and Partners Ltd, 1991, Whitchurch Heritage Survey (Deskbased survey report). SSA11711.

<06> Buteux Victoria et al, 1996, Archaeological Assessment of Whitchurch, Shropshire (CMHTS) (Historic landscape survey report). SSA12088.

<07> Dodd L J & Frost P, 2006, Proposed Residential Development on Land to the rear of the Herald Printers, No. 5 Newtown, Whitchurch: A programme of archaeological works (Deskbased survey report). SSA22829.

<08> Brown T, 1987, Whitchurch Roman Settlement: area to south of Pepper Street bounded by Castle Hill and High Street (Manuscript). SSA24532.

<09> Grant I, 2001, Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at the Car Park, Castle Hill, Whitchurch, Shropshire (Watching brief report). SSA20766.

<10> Carey Giles, 2014 onwards, Comments by Giles Carey, HER compiler in HER database, 02/10/2014 (SMR comment). SSA26784.

<11> Frost Pat, 2017, Herald Printers Works, Newtown, Whitchurch, Shropshire: archaeological assessment (Deskbased survey report). SSA29346.

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.