Information for record number MWA512:
Romano-British structures, Alcester.

Summary A drain of Roman date was found during an excavation. A Roman coin and a brooch were recovered from the drain. The site was located to the west of Bleachfield Street, Alcester.
What Is It?  
Type: Drain, Feature, Gully, Feature, 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 Hughes' Site A. Excavation in the Almhouses' Gardens. A well-constructed open drain 0.3m square in cross-section and 6m long built of local flagstones. This was very slightly curved in plan and fell gently to the N. It discharged into a soakaway 0.7m deep. This was partly stone-lined and cut through layers of late C1, mid and late C2 date. Silt in the soakaway contained near its top a quinarius of Allectus. The C1 deposit contained a brooch which is developed from a Polden Hill brooch.
2 1964: A RB well was found very close to the demolished almshouses. The structure was very similar to other wells found in the vicinity, but had been cleaned out in the post-medieval period and fitted with a pump, presumably to supply the almshouses.
3 Included in Alcester Sites list as Site no 10.
4 Listed as Site no. 13.
5 Progress report from 1956-7.
6 Progress report from 1958.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: WM
Author/originator: PMB
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Roman Alcester
   
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: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMANS
Author/originator: HVH
Date: 1964
Page Number: 5
Volume/Sheet: 7
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 76 (1958)
Author/originator: Birmingham Archaeological Society
Date: 1960
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 76
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Roman Alcester: Progress Report, 1958
Author/originator: Hughes, H V
Date: 1958
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Roman Alcester: Progress Report, 1956-7
Author/originator: Hughes, H V
Date: 1957
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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
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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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 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument DRAIN * An artificial channel for draining water or carrying it off. back
monument GULLY * A deep gutter, drain or sink. back
monument ALMSHOUSE * A house devoted to the shelter of the poor and endowed by a benefactor for this use. back
monument PUMP * A machine used to raise and move water and other liquids, compress gases, etc. 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 BLEACHFIELD * Large field or yard used to lay fabrics out ready for bleaching. back
monument SOAKAWAY * A pit filled with rubble, etc., into which rain or waste water flows in order to disperse into the surrounding soil. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. 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 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