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  1. Home
  2. Worcester Magistrates Court: Excavation of Romano-British homes and industry at Castle Street

Worcester Magistrates Court: Excavation of Romano-British homes and industry at Castle Street

Andy Boucher
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  • Overview

  • Contents

In the summer of 2000 archaeological excavations on the periphery of the Roman ‘small town’ at Worcester revealed extensive evidence for timber-framed buildings, probably representing the lower status homes of some of the settlement’s inhabitants. Major changes during the later Roman period led to much of the site being levelled and a series of gravel and cobbled surfaces being laid out. Several new structures were then built in this area, including a substantial post-built rectangular building, together defining a courtyard associated with a number of hearths, thought to be part of a smithy complex. It may even have formed one element of a wider ‘light industrial’ zone of the settlement, with evidence for pottery production and other metalworking in the vicinity. This volume presents the results of this work, setting it in the context of increasing archaeological investigation of Roman Worcester, which together is transforming our understanding of the settlement.
  • Cover
  • Title Page
  • Copyright
  • Archaeology of Roman Britain, Volume 2
  • Of Related Interest
  • Dedication
  • Acknowledgements
  • Contents
  • List of illustrations
  • List of tables
  • Abstract
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1. Background to the work
    • 1.2. Geology, topography and drainage
    • 1.3. The nature of the archaeological record
  • 2. Roman Worcester and its regional setting
    • 2.1. Regional overview
      • The development of nucleated centres in the region
      • Rural occupation in the region
      • Roman industry
    • 2.2. Roman Worcester
  • 3. Results of the excavations
    • 3.1. Natural deposits and features
    • 3.2. Phase 1 – early deposits and features (c AD 100–175)
      • Phase 1a – enclosure
        • Boundary/enclosure and associated features (G1, G3, G125, G148)
        • Oven and associated features (G7, G8)
      • Phase 1b – changes to the enclosure boundary
        • Circular structure (G31)
        • Burnt or industrial features (G85, G89, G109, G151, G156, G157)
        • Ovens with stake-holes (G63, G64)
        • Features to the north of the boundary ditch (G52)
    • 3.3. Phase 2 – establishment of rectilinear structures within the site (c AD 125–225)
      • Early east-west aligned structure in the south-west part of the site (G149)
      • Rectangular structures (G10, G53, G54, G145) (early-mid-2nd century)
      • Rebuilt structure (G11, G98) (late 2nd century)
      • Structure and associated industry in the south-west part of the site (G88, G111, G112) (late 2nd century)
      • Associated industrial activity (G17, G30, G44, G59, G60, G80, G128) (mid-2nd century)
      • Well (G120)
      • Cremation burial (G126)
      • Pits and other cut features (G65, G114, G127)
    • 3.4. Phase 3 – terracing of the site (c AD 250–320)
      • Soil layers in the south-west corner of the site
      • Main surface and patching (G19)
      • Possible gravel base for a small rectangular structure
      • Impressions in the gravel for rectilinear structures (G16, G200, G18)
    • 3.5. Phase 4 – industry and occupation (c AD 250–320)
      • Cess pit (G141)
      • Workshop in the south-west part of the site (G5, G15, G24, G25, G41, G43, G45, G129, G134, G137)
      • Other industrial activity (G26, G123, G124, G142)
      • Sandstone footing (G131)
      • Associated industrial features (G138, G139, G140)
      • Wheel ruts on the main surface (G143, G161)
      • Other pits (G95, G121, G147)
    • 3.6. Post-Roman archaeology
  • 4. The pottery
    • 4.1. Introduction and methods
    • 4.2. Taphonomy
    • 4.3. Chronology
      • Phase 1
      • Phase 2
      • Phase 3
      • Phase 4
    • 4.4. Fabrics
      • Class A, amphorae
      • Class B, black burnished wares
      • Class C, shell-tempered ware
      • Class F, colour-coated wares
      • Class G, gritted wares
      • Class M, mortaria
      • Class O, oxidised wares
      • Class Q, white-slipped oxidised wares
      • Class R, reduced wares
      • Class S, samian wares
        • Forms, products and condition
        • South Gaulish wares
        • Central Gaulish ware
        • East Gaulish ware
        • Graffiti
        • Wear and repair
        • Re-working and re-use
        • Further discussion of samian ware
      • Class W, whitewares
    • 4.5. Functional and fineware analysis
    • 4.6. Repaired vessels
    • 4.7. Burnt and sooted vessels
    • 4.8. Discussion of pottery
      • Supply
      • Status
  • 5. The finds
    • 5.1. Introduction and Summary
    • 5.2. Coins
    • 5.3. Copper alloy
      • Jewellery and personal items
      • Toilet instruments
      • Other items
    • 5.4. Iron
      • Iron objects
      • Hobnails and nails
    • 5.5. Ceramic
    • 5.6. Vessel and window glass
      • Blue-green glass bottles
      • Other blue-green vessels
      • Pale green vessels
      • Colourless vessel
      • Window glass
    • 5.7. Stone
      • Querns
        • Upper stones
        • Lower stones
      • Whetstone
      • Furniture fragment
    • 5.8. Ceramic building materials
      • Brick and tile
      • Fired clay
    • 5.9. Ironworking residues
      • Slag
      • Magnetic micro-residues
      • Discussion of ironworking residues
  • 6. Environmental evidence
    • 6.1. Faunal remains
      • Methodology
      • Preservation
      • Residuality and contamination
      • Fragmentation
      • Results of analysis
        • Cattle
        • Sheep/goat
        • Pig
        • Horse
        • Dog
        • Deer
        • Birds
        • Other
      • Discussion of the animal bone
    • 6.2. Charred plant remains
      • Methods
      • Results
      • Discussion of the plant remains
    • 6.3. Sediments
      • Natural sands
      • Buried soil beneath cobbles in eastern area
      • ‘Dark earth’ layer exposed in the southern section
      • Discussion of the sediments
  • 7. The human bone
    • 7.1. Cremated bone and aspects of the mortuary rite
      • Disturbance and condition
      • The dead
      • Cremation
      • Bone weight
      • Fragmentation
      • Skeletal elements
      • Pyre goods and debris
      • Burial formation process
      • Conclusion
    • 7.2. Analysis of residues in the cremation vessel
    • 7.3. Other human bone
  • 8. Archaeomagnetic dating
  • 9. Interpretation of the archaeology within the site
    • 9.1. Date of occupation and activity
    • 9.2. Nature of occupation
      • Phase 1
      • Phase 2
      • Phase 3
      • Phase 4
  • 10. The site, Roman Worcester and smithing
  • Bibliography
  • Appendix 1 – Pottery fabric descriptions
  • Appendix 2 – Fabric occurrence by phase
  • Appendix 3 – Catalogue of pottery
  • Appendix 4 – Pottery form occurrence by phase
  • Appendix 5 – Occurrence of samian vessels across contexts
  • Appendix 6 – Bone butchery marks
  • Appendix 7 – Lipid analysis of cremation vessel
Citable Link
Published: 2020
Publisher: BAR Publishing
Copyright Holder: BAR Publishing
ISBN(s)
  • 9781407357041 (paper)
  • 9781407357058 (ebook)
BAR Number: B658
Series
  • Archaeology of Roman Britain
Subject
  • Western Europe and Britain
  • Architecture / Domestic and Urban Buildings and Space / Urbanism
  • Roman
  • Metallurgy / Mining
  • British Isles
  • Ceramics and Pottery Studies
  • Excavation / Fieldwork / Survey
  • Craft working (general titles, bone, glass, textiles, etc.)
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