Information for record number MWA4482:
RB Altars, Birch Abbey Field, Alcester

Summary A Roman well was found during an excavation. Two alters were found when the interior of the well was excavated. Medieval pottery was also found in the well. The site was situated to the north of Chantry Crescent, Alcester.
What Is It?  
Type: Well
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 08 57
(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 Work on the trial trenches in the north end of Birch Abbey Field revealed a Roman Well. This had been excavated to a depth of 14 feet and at this depth two Roman altars were found. One is of Bath stone and the other of fine soft limestone. Both are uninscribed. With them was a sherd of late C14 pottery.
2 The exact location of the Well and its relationship to Birch Abbey Sites A - J is uncertain.
2 /Pers Com /Booth P M /1984 / / / / / /
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation archive
Title: Minutes (Alcester Excavation Committee)
Author/originator: Alcester Excavation Committee
Date: 1964-1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title:
Author/originator: Booth P M
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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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technique Trial Trench A small regular hole that is usually square or rectangular in shape. Archaeologists dig trial trenches to discover if there are any archaeological remains at a particular location. See also excavation. 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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period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument ALTAR * An elevated table or podium on which to place or sacrifice offerings to the deities. back
monument CRESCENT * A row of houses whose facade in plan follows the concave arc of a circle or ellipse, eg. The Royal Crescent, Bath. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record