Information for record number MWA10274:
Site of Roman enclosure sequence and later Roman period burials at No 119 Tiddington Road, Stratford

Summary A Roman period enclosure and later Roman period burials were excavated at No 119 Tiddington Road, Stratford on Avon. These features appear to extend beyond the limits exavated in 2006 and 2007.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Pit, Burial, Inhumation Cemetery, Deviant Burial
Period: Romano-British - Romano-British (43 AD - 275 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford upon Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 21 55
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 An evaluation in advance of development uncovered a number of Romano British pits and two inhumation burials. A small assemblage of pottery, including most of a large 4th century storage jar, was found in one pit.
2 Further excavation work, as a second phase of the 2005 evaluations. Two more Roman inhumations were found This suggests this area remained largely undeveloped after the 2nd century despite lying within the settlement area. Two of the burials were decapitations, which appears to be a local tradition as a similarly macabre ritual was found in a group of burials excavated to the south in 1925.
3 A sequence of Roman period features were excavated by Archaeology Warwickshire during 2006 and 2007 at No 119 Tiddington Road, Stratford upon Avon. These features appear to extend beyond the limits of the excavations undertaken, so more evidence is likely to be revealed in the event of future work. The earliest phase is represented by a pair of unusual pits that contained large storage jars. These pits were of sub-rectangular and circular shape. Both were filled with sandy loam layers, but the former also with heat-cracked pebbles. The second phase consisted of a series of east to west aligned gullies which had been frequently recut. Some of these were more substantial as ditches and 2m wide and between 0.80m and 1.20m deep. The first fill of one of these ditches include pottery dating from the mid- to late 1st century. The third phase appears to have seen a reorganisation of the area. A series of gullies cross the site, one including a V-shaped profile at least 1.0m wide and 0.95m deep. The others, however, were shallower and often with U-shape profiles. These gullies included a series of sandy loam layers. A series of intercutting pits in the north-western corner of the excavations may have formed the corner of an irregular enclosure. This phase is thought to be later 2nd to mid-3rd century in date. The last Roman phase was represented by a small scatter of later 3rd to 4th century of inhumation burials. This is not so definitively dated as the other periods due to the lack of finds, but the similarities to the burials on the Reading Court site nearby, as well as the decapitations represented, suggest they are also Roman. A total of six definite inhumations were identified scattered across the site. Five of these graves were certainly aligned north to south and one aligned north-east to south-west. A further two possible graves were also identified, but were not excavation. Three of the burials were in coffins which were evidence by a pattern of iron nails around the edges of the grave.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Early Roman Settlement, Late Roman Burials and an Anglo Saxon enclosure at 119 Tiddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon
Author/originator: S Palmer
Date: 2010
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1050
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological evaluation at 119 Tiddington Road, Stratford on Avon.
Author/originator: S C Palmer
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA (West Midlands Archaeology) Vol 49
Author/originator: CBA West Midlands
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 39
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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monument LAYER * An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument COFFIN * A chest made of stone, wood or lead, used to enclose a dead body. back
monument INHUMATION * An interment of unburnt, articulated human remains. Use specific type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument GRAVE * A place of burial. Use more specific type where known. back
monument DEVIANT BURIAL * An interment of a human body that displays unusual burial practice such as positioning of the body, decapitation, dismemberment or over-secure burial. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument INHUMATION CEMETERY * An area used for the deposition of human remains where the principal funeral rite is the burial of the corpse complete. Generally indicated by the discovery of articulated human skeletal remains, occasionally with evidence of coffins and/or grave goods. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument BURIAL * An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches. back
monument CROSS * A free-standing structure, in the form of a cross (+), symbolizing the structure on which Jesus Christ was crucified and sacred to the Christian faith. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record