More information : [Area SU 6400 6236] WALL [R.] ; FOSSE and FOSSE (R)
(Track of) [NAT]; NORTH GATE, SOUTH GATE, EAST GATE, WEST GATE and GATE (R) (Leading to Amphitheatre) [NAT] (1)
The Town Wall and Ditch and underlying Bank and Ditch. Excavation in 1938-9, by the author, of the wall defences along the northeast sector, showed that the wall and its ditch had replaced an earlier bank and ditch. Between the wall and its ditch is a berm which excavation proved to mask a filled-in ditch. It was V-shaped with steep sides and had been filled by well-rammed sand and material from its bank. The wall trench was cut along the earlier bank, and the outer slope being removed and the inner slope make up into a ramp for the wall. The earlier bank and ditch could be dated to circa 160-170 A.D. The wall and ditch were dated on the evidence of:
i)a fragment of Samian of Form 45, of a type later than 180 A.D. found in the wall trench itself.
ii) in the excavations of 1910, ' a denarius of Septimius Severus found...on the inside of the wall, at a depth of 6ft. from the top of the mound', possibly came from the wall trench.
iii) a broken inscription, dated to 193-217, was found on top of the wall, west of the north gate in 1732.
'A provisional dating of circa 190-210 is suggested with a tendency to stress the later limit'. (2)
The circuit of the wall is a mile and a half and it forms a nine-sided enclosure of 107 acres. In its east sector the wall is carried on piles where it passes obliquely over marshy ground and the filled ditch of the 'Belgic defence' [4.1], and there is a long sag in its superstructure in the northwest side, due again to the passage of the ditch. There are seveal breaches made in farming, but only on the S. has it collapsed through natural agency. The wall is 9 1/2ft. thick at the base, with a slight foundation of flint rubble which projects on the outer side, covered by a plinth of heavy stone blocks. It is composed of a flint-rubble concrete faced with courses of dressed flints and there are bonding courses of flat oolite slabs. Local ironstone is also used, especially at the gateways. The thickness of the wall at the top was about 7.5 ft., but nowhere is it now preserved to its full height, which was probably about 20ft. plus battlements. The greatest height which it now reaches is 15ft. near the south gate. The width has also been reduced and the original facing has all gone except towards the base. Behind the wall there is a backing mound of earth and gravel, rising in many places to the crest of the masonry. This mound is largely formed of the underlying bank, but back when the wall was erected, and superficially made up afterwards. About every 200ft. along the inside of the wall there are rectangular projections or counterforts, 12ft. long. The ditch is outside the wall and seperated from it by a berm 30ft. wide. The berm masks the site of the earlier ditch of circa 160 or somewhat later. The ditch appertaining to the wall is irregular, 25 to 45ft. wide and saucer-shape in profile. On its west sections there are traces of a gravel counterscarp bank. How the roads crossed the ditch to the gateways is very obscure. Traces of a made-up causeway were, however, exposed in the wall ditch at the north gate and others may have existed at other gates.
The main gates lie at the four cardinal points of the compass. The east and west gates form a pair and had double carriageways and guard chambers. The second pair, north and south, had single portals without guard chambers. Three posterns and a sluice gate are also known. (3-4)
The original bank and ditch are probably Antonine - Corder has suggested that, in this period, towns were ordered to make defences by Clodius Albinus. It was probably intended that the masonry wall would be built as a revetment to this bank, but when this came to be done, insufficient space had been left between the bank and ditch. The wall - a leisurely replacement - was therefore built back into the bank, the ditch filled and a new one dug, circa 200-230 A.D. Aubrey mentions '.. an Arx, Barbican or Ridoubt' at the northwest corner of the wall, but nothing was found to suggest a bastion or the like, in excavation, in 1956. (5-6)
The description of the wall, ditch and ramp is as given by Authty. 3. In good condition. The length of wall on the northeast, cleaned by the Ministry of Works. in 1938-9 is again overgrown. (7)
Description of 12.12.56 is still correct. Published 1/2500 survey revised. (8)
SU 639621. Excavations in 1974-5 at the south gate revealed that the masonry gate was contemporary with the late 2nd century earth rampart and the stone wall is mid to late 3rd century. The earliest road through the gate was dated circa 50-60 and successive surfaces were dated up to circa 350-360. (9)
(SU 64146210) Excavations of the south-east gate revealed that it was a postern gate and that there was no sluice gate as previously supposed. (10)
Additional bibliography. (11-17)
The defences were first constructed at the end of the second century and comprised a single clay and gravel rampart and two V-shaped ditches. Access was provided by elaborate masonry built gates. The defences were constructed during the late second century. In 260-80 the defences were replaced in stone following the course of the earthern defences. The new defences included a complete curcuit of stone wall (2.5 kilometres) which survives to a maximum height of 4.5 metres and has a maximum thickness of 3 metres at its base. Construction is of flint and stone. In front of the wall was a ditch up to 14 metres wide. (18) |