Monument record 12504 - Civil War Period Burial, Tower Wharf Site

One of three human burials were recovered during archaeological investigations at Tower Wharf in 2007/8. All initially assumed to be Romano British during fieldwork . A subsequent specialist report found there was some doubt that one of three was contemporary due to the manner of inhumation and preservation of the bone. Radiocarbon dating for Skeleton 2040 resulted in a calibrated date of AD 1460-1640. This located the burial to immediately prior to the Civil War engagements at Chester. The report concludes that though there is a statistical possibility of a Civil War date for the burial, on consideration it seems that the grave was excavated prior to the civil war ditch.

The remaining two, (see CHER 8637) although neither could be firmly dated, one was encountered within the floor of a second century Roman building and appeared to be sealed by a late/post Roman cultivation layer. The report contains a discussion of the dating of all three burials.

During the Tower wharf site excavations (stated as 2005 but burials uncovered during the 2007/8 excavations), three burials were recorded. One of these was selected for C14 dating and was found to belong to the Civil War period. Although the other two burials are strictly undated, they may also belong to this period (see CHER8637).(2)

OS grid ref relocated from SJ 4005 66756 to that shown on page 37 of report(1)(MW 19/4/2016)

<1> SLR Consulting Ltd, 2013, Tower Wharf, Chester: Archaeological mitigation report Phase 1 Infrastructure Works. Roman roadside occupation to Civil War fortification (Client Report). SCH7070.

<2> Ward, S. W., 2012, Excavations at Chester: The western and southern Roman extramural settlements: A Roman community on the edge of the world, p 305 (Monograph). SCH6788.