Site Event/Activity record ECH2574 - Archaeological Evaluation Carried Out on Land Between the River Croco and King Street, Middlewich, Cheshire

Programme of archaeological evaluation initiated in 1993 for land between the River Croco and King Street, Middlewich, in advance of a residential housing development. The archaeological work comprised a desk-based survey, a geophysical survey and trial-trenching. The geophysical survey (resistivity and magnetometer) was carried out by Stratascan in August 1993 over two fields - Harbutt's Field and Field 2981 to the south. The resistivity survey was more successful revealing four sides and corners of a Roman marching fort/camp with opposed entrances in Harbutt's Field. The possible existance of a fort here had been postulated by eighteenth and nineteenth century antiquaries. There was no firm evidence for buildings or roads within the camp but the linear lower resistance features possibly represent drainage or enclosures contemporary with the camp. The magnetic survey supported the findings of the resistance survey although generally it was less productive. This may be the result of considerable depth of overburden on the site which was to a depth of approximately 700-800mm. No recogniseable features were located in the more southerly field, 2981. The geophysical report is included as Appendix E in the wider report for the programme of work SCH4183, R2103. Following on from the geophysical survey a series of trial trenches were excavated between August and September 1993. Two of the ditches were located across the defensive perimeter of the fort and a third within its interior; these trenches confirmed the existance of the fort. It is a roughly square enclosure circa 110m-125m with rounded corners. Entrances are visible in the middle of all 4 sides. There is also evidence of a structure within the northern gateway possibly a ‘clavicular’ type entrance. The enclosure is surrounded by a single rampart and ditch. In trench 3 a beam slot was recorded indicating the possible existance of timber structures within the fort. Five further trenches were located in Field 2981 but of all these only one contained a single cut feature and this was not dateable. Trenches 6 and 7, the most southerly of the trenches, contained the most residual Roman material. This evidence would suggest that the main Roman settlement at Middlewich lay further to the south. (1)