If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).
Data derived from Heritage Gateway will not be acceptable for any use associated with development proposals and other planning matters.

For important guidance on the use of this record, please click here . © Southampton City Council

Summary

A partial profile through the town ditch was obtained during archaeological fieldwork at 39 Lower Canal Walk in 2003 (SOU 1260). Speed's 1611 map shows a single wide ditch in this area. The western edge of the ditch was exposed, overlain by one deposit thought to be medieval. In the base of the ditch were naturally accumulated marine clays, undated by perhaps formed in the late medieval or early post-medieval period. Above these were domestic refuse and backfill deposits of 17th/18th century and 19th century date. A substantial north/south stone wall was probably part of the late 18th century canal built in the eastern part of the ditch (separate record). Much medieval and post-medieval pottery was found in the backfills. (See parent record MSH1085 for this part of the town ditch.)

Protected Status: None recorded

Other Statuses/Codes: None Recorded

Monument Type(s):

• TOWN DITCH (dug, Medieval - 1338 AD to 1373 AD)

Full description

SOU 1260 (evaluation and excavation at 39 Lower Canal Walk in 2003):
HER 23/5/2016: Record redone; previous version did not use all available reports, and, following problems with the reports, was confused and incorrect.
Reports [1] and [2] cover the evaluation and excavation stages of the fieldwork. Report [3] is a joint report covering both SOU 1260, and SOU 1263 (a site not far to the north), prepared for publication but never published. It is clearly a draft (it contains errors and inconsistencies). The reports differ in their interpretations, particularly of N/S wall 161. Despite the problems with report [3], the interpretations in that report have been used here, as more likely to have been correct (and also agreeing with the interpretations in SOU 1263 report [4]). (I don’t know whether all the SOU 1260 interpretations in [3] were accepted.)

[3]: Speed's 1611 map of Southampton shows the town ditch in this area as a single, wide feature, in contrast to the double ditch shown further north (possible reasons for this anomaly are discussed in the Historical Overview section of [3]).

The fieldwork was partly designed to investigate this feature. The trench was located outside Friary Gate across the line of the single town ditch shown. A medieval bridge associated with Friary Gate is presumed to exist in this location.

The base of the town ditch was exposed at the western end of the excavation trench at c3.5m BMGS. One deposit (175) on the western edge of the ditch was a “medieval fill” (earlier report [2] states that no medieval ditch fills were found). In the base of the ditch was a series of naturally accumulated marine clays (162 & 172) (162 is described in [2] as being compact). The marine clays contained at least two species of marine mollusc (but no dating evidence). They were probably formed after the town ditch had been abandoned, and salt water had entered, in the late medieval/early post-medieval period. Above these were domestic refuse and backfill/reclamation deposits of 17th/18th century and 19th century date.

An E/W alignment of four upright timbers, found in the base of the evaluation trench, was initially thought to be the remains of the medieval bridge (MSH2654). However further excavation showed that the timbers did not penetrate the lower ditch fills, and the timbers are thought to be 19th century piles (see separate records).

Several structures were found in the central part of the excavation trench, the earliest being a substantial N/S stone wall, probably part of the late 18th century canal, others being 19th century in date (see separate records).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESH1500 - Evaluation and Excavation at 39 Lower Canal Walk in 2003 (Ref: SOU 1260)

Related records

Associated Links: None recorded

If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).

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