Information for record number MWA498:
Roman pit & post holes in Alcester.

Summary A pit and several post holes of Roman date were found during an excavation. Two Roman brooches and a coin were also recovered from the site, which was situated west of Birch Abbey, Alcester.
What Is It?  
Type: Pit, Post Hole, Findspot
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 Excavation by S Taylor in 1972. Gardens of six cottages cleared and smaller trial areas excavated elsewhere. Earliest finds were two brooches and a coin of the Claudian period sealed by cobbling. The cobbled area extended over the whole area of Excavation and was sealed by 6 further layers of cobbling. No edges were found and the cobbling is undated. Apart from a small rubbish pit and three post holes there were no indications of structures. At the E of the site was a layer of silt with an undated gulley dug into it. Both silt and upper cobbling were scored with plough marks. In places there were up to twelve superimposed layers of cobbling. It would seem that in the Roman period the area was part of a large cobbled surface of uncertain extent. The plough marks may be Medieval. C19 industrial activity (PRN 5489) has damaged the site.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
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: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 15 (1972)
Author/originator: Rahtz, P (ed)
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 15
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

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.
more -> 		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.
more -> 		back
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.
more -> 		back
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 RUBBISH PIT * A pit where domestic waste material is deposited. back
monument FINDSPOT * The approximate location at which stray finds of artefacts were found. Index with object name. back
monument PLOUGH MARKS * The subsoil traces of cultivation, presumed to have been caused by the use of a plough to till the soil. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. 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 GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument POST HOLE * A hole dug to provide a firm base for an upright post, often with stone packing. Use broader monument type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record