Information for record number MWA479:
Roman defences, Alcester.

Summary Sections of the defences of the Roman town of Alcester have been found during excavation. They comprised a clay rampart and a wall.
What Is It?  
Type: Town Defences
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 09 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 A section cut through the defences of the Roman town revealed a clay rampart of C2 or later date. In front was a 2.7m wide wall. No defensive ditch was found at this point, where the land slopes steeply down to the River Arrow.
2 Further excavation produced additional evidence for the wall and the way in which it was constructed into the earlier turf and clay rampart. The foundations of the wall consisted of wooden piles driven into the natural gravel, packed with a layer of clay. It appears that the gravel bank sloped down to the River Arrow more steeply in the Roman period than it does now and it may have been deliberately scarped.
3 R A Tomlinson also excavated in this area but there is no information on this work.
4 Reports on the excavations at Mahany Site M, at the NE end of Tibbets Close, adjacent to the Arrow (EWA2830). Includes sections across the rampart.
6 Possible parts of the clay built rampart have also been located in archaeological work at 6 Tibbets Close (1985; MWA4831), and at 9 Meeting Lane (1983; MWA7402) and possibly at 10 Meeting Lane (2007; MWA19288). Please see child records for further information about these interventions.
 
Sources
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Roman Alcester: Northern Extramural Area 1969-1988 excavations
Author/originator: Booth, P M & Evans, J
Date: 2001
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Roman Alcester: Southern Extramural Area 1964-1966 Excavations (Part 1)
Author/originator: Mahany, C. (ed.)
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Roman Alcester: Southern Extramural Area 1964-1966 Excavations (Part 2)
Author/originator: Mahany, C. (ed.)
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Descriptive Text
Title: Index of Alcester sites compiled c.1983 and typescript of a state of knowledge document for Alcester
Author/originator: Booth P M
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Roman Alcester
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 9
Author/originator:
Date: 1966
Page Number: 2
Volume/Sheet: 9
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS, no 8, 1965
Author/originator: Gould, J (ed)
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 8
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Giles Carey
Author/originator: G Carey
Date: 2009-2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. 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 TOWN DEFENCES * Defensive fortifications such as ramparts, ditches and stone walls, built to defend a town or city. back
monument PILE * Component: Use wider site type where known. back
monument RAMPART * A protective earthen mound, often the main defence of a fortification. back
monument DEFENCE * This is the top term for the class. See DEFENCE Class List for narrow terms. 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 WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record