Information for record number MWA442:
Site of Romano-British Cemetery at Oversley, Alcester.

Summary The site of a Roman cemetery located west of Oversley Bridge.
What Is It?  
Type: Cemetery
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 09 56
(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 Human remains (vertebrae) discovered in 1927 and 1928 beneath 2.4m of marl. These were found while the water level was lowered. It was thought the deposits might be post glacial. Later more bones and skulls at 2.5m and another backbone at 1.8m.
3 April 1958, following the heavy flooding which had caused erosion two human skeletons were revealed in the right bank at about 1.8m below the level of the present meadow. Both were horizontal and fully extended. Iron nails and Roman sherds were closely associated.
4 Chance finds were also made 1976-83.
5 Finds from 1976-83 included fragments of a number of skeletons, pottery and animal bone fragments.
6 More information related to
1. Human remains (verterbrae) were discovered by Davis beneath 8ft of marl, on the N Bank fo the R Arrow, Lench meadow, 30 yds from footpath. Professor Brash, Anatomy Dept, Brimingham University, thought the deopists might be early post-glacial, 10,000 years old. No flints or shells in the deposits, according to Davis.
7 No geophysical evidence for the cemetery was picked up during the 2009 survey. This is because of the depth of the burials. One possible explanation for the depth could be that the burials were interred within the fill of a defensive ditch that has been encroached on by the river.
 
Sources
Source No: 6
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Alcester Notes
Author/originator: W A Seaby
Date: 1954
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: WM
Author/originator: Booth P
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Roman Alcester
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Diary
Author/originator: Davis B
Date:
Page Number: 1927-8
Volume/Sheet: Diary
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: Arrow Fields, Alcester Geophysical Survey Report
Author/originator: ArchaeoPhysica Ltd
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 23SE7
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1954
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 23SE7
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 77 (1959)
Author/originator: Birmingham Archaeological Society
Date: 1961
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 77
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. comm.
Author/originator: Booth P
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WM Warwickshire Museum Aerial Photograph Collection. A collection of oblique and vertical aerial photographs and taken by various organisations and individuals, including the Royal Airforce, The Potato Board, Warwickshire Museum. The collection is held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image back
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 UNIVERSITY * A group of colleges and associated buildings belonging to a university. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument CEMETERY * An area of ground, set apart for the burial of the dead. 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 HUMAN REMAINS * The unarticulated remains of the body of a human being. If articulated use inhumation. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument FOOTPATH * A path for pedestrians only. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record