Monument Type(s):

• (Former Type) TOWN WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Summary

This site represents: a town wall of medieval date.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA5933 - 2005 Evaluation of land off Chapel Street, Oswestry by Castlering Archaeology (Ref: 199)
• ESA6065 - 2006 Evaluation of land off Chapel Street, Oswestry by Castlering Archaeology (Ref: 240)

Description

A 2005 evaluation located the robbed out remains of the town wall, on which had been based a limestone wall of 19th century date. The existence of the wall at this location had been predicted on the basis of the 1983-84 excavations [ESA5935, PRN 05717], together with the evidence of detailed indenture plans of 1840 and 1888 [reproduced in report]. The latter clearly show the alignment of the town wall for about 30m south east of the trench location. ->

-> The wall as excavated appeared to represent a series of construction and robbing events. The earliest of these was the construction of a stretch of sandstone block wall, just over 2m wide, with white lime mortar bonding, the very top of which was revealed in the base of the trench. Just over 1m in length of this wall was revealed running in a northwest-southeast direction, and continuing southeast beyond the edge of trench. The dimensions and appearance of the wall were consistent with other observations of the wall, in the car park to the north [ESA 5935, PRN 05717]. This wall, and an associated tower [see PRN 08263], had been subject to a number of later robbing events. The first of these seems to have taken place on the southwest side of the tower and wall sometime in the late 16th or early 17th century and to have involved the removal of the facing stones. Subsequently (17th or 18th century?), the area outside the wall was levelled up, and the wall itself may have been levelled - though direct evidence of this has been removed by later robbing. At some point in the early 19th century the below-ground footings of the wall were partially removed and a narrower replacement wall built on top of the remaining footings and on the same alignment. This is probably the wall shown on the 1840 and 1888 plans. In the early 20th century this later wall was also levelled, and the rubble infill of the tower implies that it was backfilled and levelled at this time. ->

-> Medieval deposits were encountered within the wall line [see PRN 05796]. On the line of the ditch a clay deposit (not removed), not closely dated but thought to be early post-medieval, may, as in the car park excavations to the north [ESA 5935], have lain across the top of the town ditch, which was not in this case reached <1>

In 2006 a second phase of evaluation was completed by Castlering Archaeology at a site off Chapel Street, Oswestry during the demolition of buildings before the residential development of the site. The entire length of the 19th century limestone wall was uncovered. A trench was excavated between the former plot of the furniture showroom and the adjacent building called Cherrygarth to establish whether this was the alignment of the medieval town wall. The placement of this trench was chosen to avoid any further building foundations. The limestone wall was excavated to a depth of 1.27m where it was found to have been constructed on the basal remains of the 13th century wall. The width of the 13th century wall was 2.163m (7ft). The limestone wall seems to have been deliberately reduced in size and utilised to form the foundation of the back wall of the furniture showroom building. Evidence of the wall located during these excavations will be reburied for posterity and remain undisturbed during the current works. The alignment of the medieval wall will be defined in paviours to the rear of the new residential units by the building contractor. <2>

<01> Frost Pat, 2005, Land off Chapel Street, Oswestry, Shropshire: archaeological evaluation, March 2005 (Deskbased survey report). SSA22225.

<02> Frost Pat, 2006, Land off Chapel Street (No.s 1 -9 Willow Mews), Oswestry: Phase 2 Archaeological Evaluation (Archaeological fieldwork report). SSA22530.

Sources

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