Monument record 8353 - Roman Centurion's House B (retentura East) at Deanery Field

Archaeological investigations at the Deanery Field in 1935 by Prof Newstead recorded traces of the northern end of a centurions house to the north of the barrack block previously excavated in 1928 CHER 8246). The eastern side of the structure was excavated and it was possible to identify 5 rooms.

Of the external walls, the full length of the north-south aligned east wall as well as the return north and south walls were identified. (1)

Room 1 at the southern end of the structure contained a floor surface of good quality opus signinum surface. Traces of earlier activity sealed by this floor comprised three post holes and some domestic waste with pottery of a late first century date. In room 2 several floors could be identified including the primary floor of sand and broke. Two layers of broken wall plaster and an upper layer rubble metalling. (1)

Room 3 had a sand floor and evidence of a rectangular sink in the north east corner although no evidence of a drain was encountered. The remaining two rooms had sand floors capped with a rough pitching of broken sandstone. (1)

<1> Newstead, R (Prof.), 1936, Excavations in the Deanery Field and Abbey Green, 1935 (Article in Journal). SCH6480.

<2> LeQuesne C, 1999, Excavations at Chester: The Roman and Later Defences Part I (Monograph). SCH6156.

<3> Collingwood R G & Wright R P, 1965, The Roman Inscriptions of Britain: Volume I (Monograph). SCH3235.

<4> Webster, Graham, 1953, Excavations on the Legionary Defences at Chester, 1949-52 (Part ii), p17-23 (Article in Journal). SCH5727.

<5> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, pp149-51,157 (Book). SCH3556.

<6> Newstead, Robert (Prof.), 1926, Records of Archaeological Finds at Chester (Article in Journal). SCH5955.

<7> Lloyd-Morgan G., 1978, Some small Roman Bronzes in the Grovsenor Museum, Chester (Article in Journal). SCH5917.

<8> Lloyd-Morgan G., 1977, Mirrors in Roman Chester (Article in Journal). SCH5915.

<9> Lawson, P H, 1926, Schedule of the Roman Remains of Chester with Maps and Plans (Article in Journal). SCH5956.

<10> Thompson Watkin W. T., 1886, Roman Cheshire: A Description of Roman Remains in the County of Chester, p158-9 (Book). SCH2878.

<11> Lloyd-Morgan G., 1981, Jet and shale in the archaeological collections of the Grosvenor Museum (Article in Journal). SCH5932.

<12> Wright, R. P. & Richmond, I. A., 1955, Catalogue of the Roman Inscribed and Sculptured Stones in the Grosvenor Museum, Chester (Monograph). SCH522.

<13> Thompson, F.H., 1964, A History of Cheshire. Volume Two: Roman Cheshire (Book). SCH2862.