Site Event/Activity record ECH5769 - Archaeological excavations at Saighton Camp, Huntington, 2006 (Phase 1): Post Excavation Analysis

During November and December 2006 a programme of archaeological excavation was carried out within the playing fields situated in the northern part of the former Saighton Army Camp, Chester. The site is situated some 2.75km south-east of the Roman fortress at Chester, and approximately 2km distant from the two Roman roads leading south and east from it. The excavation confirmed the existence of, and fully recorded, a series of ditches and gullies, many of which had been identified during a programme of evaluation trenching undertaken during December 2005 and January 2006. Firm dating evidence was obtained from only one of the ditches, placing it in the Roman period. However , the proximity alignment, and similarity of the profiles and fills of the features tended to suggest that most, if not all, were of the same general period. The complete absence of evidence for any agrarian activity, coupled with the almost complete absence of artefacts within the ditches, suggested that they probably represented part of a Romano-British field system devoted to animal husbandry, situated at some distance from the associated settlement. (1) Published account (2022) of the results of the programme of archaeological mitigation at Saighton Camp undertaken between 2005 and 2015, which revealed important and extensive Roman period remains within the area of development. The site is located 3km from the Roman legionary fortress of Chester (Deva Victrix). A combination of trial trenching, watching brief monitoring and excavation across the area of proposed development revealed the remains of a high-status settlement of second to fourth century date (CHER 7418/2), together with an associated regular field system (CHER 7418/1) laid out over more than 20 hectares. The excavated settlement appears to be an ancillary area to a much larger site, the centre of which lies to the south in the area of the moated site (CHER 1946) and is believed to be a villa. This is the closest such site to Chester and villas are notably rare in the region. The field system runs parallel with a modern road (Sandy Lane), suggesting the latter is a Roman route. The field system was probably laid out by the legion at Deva as part of the lands they controlled around the fortress. (2)