Information for record number MWA6232:
Site of Romano British Settlement on Grimstock Hill

Summary The site of a Roman settlement recorded during an excavation and situated 500m east of Gilson Hall.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Coleshill
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 19 90
(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 The Iron Age settlement on the site of the Romano-Celtic temple probably continued into the Roman period (see PRN 5130). In addition salvage recording indicated Roman settlement in the area to the S of the well and bath house. This was salvage recorded in March 1979 before the main season of excavation began. Examination of the pottery indicates a date in the earlier part of the 2nd century. Hand-made pottery which is common in the pre-temple activity is absent, which may indicate that these areas carry on the sequence from the pre-temple layers. This may indicate a migration of settlement from the N area when the temple was constructed.
2 Those features which contained pottery of an Iron Age type, also contained Romanized pottery and tile. It is possible that a number of ring gullies, for instance, date from the early Roman period (p.31). The replacement of round buildings by rectilinear ones took place over time, the buildings to the south of the temple, whatever their exact date and purpose, mostly having a rectangular ground-plan. The settlement is compared to 'typical' rural settlements, a series of farms set alongside a road, unenclosed. At Coleshill the temple was not in any literal sense central to the settlement and expansion, when it first occurred, left the temenos on the very edge of settlement surrounded by fields.
3 Brief set of articles on early work on the site, carried out by Chelmsley History Society/ Atherstone Archaeological Group, including details of pottery recorded across this area, as examined by Paul Booth.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 23
Author/originator: Magilton J R
Date: 1980
Page Number: 31-2, 38
Volume/Sheet: 23
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 110
Author/originator: J Magilton
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Serial
Title: Chelmsley History No 6
Author/originator: Dutton, J (ed.)
Date: 1978
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 WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. 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 Iron Age About 800 BC to 43 AD

The Iron Age comes after the Bronze Age and before the Roman period. It is a time when people developed the skills and knowledge to work and use iron, hence the name ‘Iron Age’ which is given to this period. Iron is a much tougher and more durable metal than bronze but it also requires more skill to make objects from it. People continued to use bronze during this period.
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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 SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument BATH HOUSE * A building equipped with facilities for bathing, and occasionally public baths. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. 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 ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. back
monument FARM * A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument TEMPLE * Use for places of worship. For later landscape features use, eg. GARDEN TEMPLE. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record