Information for record number MWA4466:
Excavation of Roman Settlement at Tiddington, 1980

Summary Part excavation in 1980 of a Roman settlement within a large rectangular enclosure. Features and finds date from the first to the fourth century, and include Samian ware pottery. The site is to the west of Tiddington village.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Building, Defence, Pit, Well, Road, Corn Drying Kiln, Kiln, Blacksmiths Workshop
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford upon Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 21 55
(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 magnetometer survey was undertaken in 1979 and produced evidence for a large rectangular enclosure within which was a complex of features.
2 1980. Trial trenching, followed by a major excavation. Four areas were opened; one was within the enclosure where trial trenching had located a stone walled building, one covered an area of rubbish pits, the other two covered field systems and burials. After this a large area was stripped. Iron Age (MWA5554) and Roman features were found. The Roman settlement seems to have come into existence in the 1st century alongside a Roman road on the site of the Tiddington road. 1st century features consisting of rubbish pits and gullies were confined to the north area of the site. In the 2nd century the settlement expanded. A roadway ran east from site with rubbish pits beside it and buildings appear in the north part of the site. Pits and wells are associated. Occupation continued in the 3rd century and two corn dryers are probably of this period. In the mid-4th century a large ditch was dug around the built-up area. This was 3-7m wide and 1-2m deep. Timber buildings and a stone-aisled building are of this date. Most of the buildings were timber and thatch. Fragments of box tile, a crude column base, and a rough moulded plinth indicate more substantial buildings. Finds included brooches, bronze implements, 65 coins, querns. Samian formed 5% of the pottery.
3 Plan.
5 A miniature bronze axe found.
6 Report on slag recovered from the excavations; extensive evidence was recorded for iron smithing activity. Contrary to what was published on the site in the 1930s, there was no evidence for iron smelting. The slag might have been the by-product of two or more smithies working over a period of several hundred years. The location of the smithies could not be determined.
7 Examination of several samples of possible metalworking waste; the vast majority of the material consisted of several dribbles of copper-alloy, with some leaded examples.
 
Sources
Source No: 6
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Tiddington, Warwickshire. Slag Report
Author/originator: Aston University Dept of Mechanical and Production Engineering
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Examination of Technological Material from Tiddington, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Wilthew, P
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4750
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1981
Author/originator: N B Rankov, M W C Hassall and R S O Tomlin
Date: 1982
Page Number: 327-422
Volume/Sheet: 13
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: A Miniature Bronze Axe from Tiddington, Warwickshire
Author/originator: M Green
Date: 1985
Page Number: 238-241
Volume/Sheet: 16
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMA vol 24
Author/originator: NJP
Date: 1981
Page Number: 16-24
Volume/Sheet: 24
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: WMA vol 24
Author/originator: NJP
Date: 1981
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 24
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 22 (1979)
Author/originator: Aspinall A and Heathcote C
Date: 1979
Page Number: 45
Volume/Sheet: 22
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source Britannia Britannia, the journal of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies which contains articles about the archaeology of Roman Britain. It is published annually and copies are held at 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
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 Magnetometer Survey A magnetometer survey measures the earth's magnetic field and the effects that structures in the ground may have on it. For example, walls, pits and trenches might display different levels of magnetism than the surrounding ground. These differences can affect the readings taken during the survey. Once the readings have been recorded they are plotted out to produce a plan of features that exist below the ground. See also geophysical survey. 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 ROADWAY * The central part of a road between the pavements or the verges. back
monument VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument CORN DRYING KILN * A building found in conjunction with a WATERMILL, used for the drying of corn after harvesting, with a slatted drying floor set above a kiln. back
monument KILN * A furnace or oven for burning, baking or drying. Use specific type where known. 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 RUBBISH PIT * A pit where domestic waste material is deposited. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument AISLED BUILDING * A building with an aisle along one or both sides. Usually a row of posts separates the main space from the aisle. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE * A rectangular shaped area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or similar barrier. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. 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 WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument DEFENCE * This is the top term for the class. See DEFENCE Class List for narrow terms. back
monument FIELD SYSTEM * A group or complex of fields which appear to form a coherent whole. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. 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 BURIAL * An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches. back
monument COLUMN * Use for free standing column. back
monument BLACKSMITHS WORKSHOP * Place where a smith works iron. May be for small scale local use or within a larger industrial complex. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record