Monument record 177/2/3 - Roman Brine industry at Kingsley Fields, Nantwich

<1> Arrowsmith, P & Power D., 2012, Roman Nantwich: A Salt-Making Settlement, BAR British Series 557 (Monograph). SCH7339.

Archaeological investigations at Kingsley Fields, Nantwich between 2001 and 2002 uncovered the remains of a Roman settlement with industrial activity and a small cremation cemetery alongside a Roman road. The remains are the first clear evidence of Roman activity in Nantwich associated with the salt-making industry and provide evidence of a road linking the settlement with the main road to the northwest.

The investigations comprised the evaluation of 33 trial trenches and two test pits along with geophysical survey, metal detecting and fieldwalking surveys over a substantial area to the north of Welsh Row in 2001 followed by the more detailed excavation of several area that exhibited strong archaeological potential for Roman remains.

Several brine tanks and other evidence of salt processing were encountered in the southern part of the site immediately adjacent to the area of Roman occupation. The evidence here comprised two substantial clay and timber lined brine tanks.

Brine Tank 1 [1207] measured 11.2m in length and 3.6m in width at the base and was aligned roughly northeast to southwest. A possible outer cut [1376] within which the tank was constructed was cut some 3.5m beyond the clay lining [1241] that formed the primary construction of the tank. During excavation the remains of at least two animals were encountered embedded in the clay lining. The main timber lined tank measured 11.2m in length; however, an adjoining timber lined chamber [1347] was encountered at the northern end of the tank separated by a timber built wall approximately 3.5m wide. At the southwest end of the tank, failed wall [1348] represented the original end wall, later sealed off from the main tank by end base plates [1619, 1620].

The base of Brine Tank 1 formed a lattice with two abutting substantial timber beams [1622, 1603] 5.4m in length along the south-eastern arm and two abutting timber beams [1621, 1602] measuring 5.4m and 5.48m in length respectively along the north-western arm. At the northeast [1600, 1599] and southwest [1619, 1620] ends two smaller timbers formed the end base plates while the internal floor of the tank was also divided into eight unevenly distributed sections by oak timbers running between the base plates. The walls of the tank were formed using 45 timber uprights with horizontal oak planking surviving to a height of four courses although the original structure was at least one further course.

The northeast end of the tank was separated from the second chamber [1347] was of a similar construction to the main tank with a failed external wall at its extreme end. The evidence would suggest that the tank was originally much larger, built to encompass chamber [1347], however, when the external wall failed the tank was shortened to create a redundant end space. A similar event appears to have occurred at the southwest end, accounting for failed wall [1348], later replaced by the end base plates [1619, 1620]. Dendro-chronological dating from the failed wall suggested a felling date of around AD 114-142.

Several fills were recorded within the tank including one [1239] that contained an unusually largely collection of finds including well preserved organic material, intact pottery vessels, metalwork and animal bone. Some examples include cattle heads with perforated holes, a complete lead alloy casserole, iron tools and two brine paddles. The unusual nature of this assemblage is suggestive of ritual deposition rather than casual waste and from the pottery evidence it is likely this event occurred in around AD 180-190.

The dating evidence from Brine Tank 1 suggests it was built in the mid second century with a felling date for the timber of AD 114-42 with the pottery from the failed northwest end suggesting a date of around AD 150. It appears to have remained in use for several decades represented by several thin deposits high in salt in the base until around AD 180-190 when it was infilled with some casual waste. The ritual deposition of goods at this point appears to mark the closure of the tank. This was followed by a period of abandonment of the tank for any kind of activity before a second phase of ritual deposition occurred in the mid 3rd century, primarily represented by later [1240] that again involved animal remains and intact pottery vessels. The tank was finally infilled with a series of peat deposits and covered by sands and silts dating to the mid 3rd to 4th century.

Brine Tank 2 [1182] was recorded a short distance to the north of Brine Tank 1. It had a similar construction to the first with a post and plank walling in front of an outer clay lining [1314] and an outer construction cut forming a pit some 15m long and 7.6m wide and a maximum depth of 2.14m. The tank itself measured 10.5m long and 3m wide. The base frame of the tank comprised two long abutting timbers [2061, 2059] and a third shorter timber beam [2058] along the northwest arm and two long timbers [2062, 2063] and [2064] along the southeast arm. The end frame was represented by timber beams [2056] and [2066]. A total of 29 timber uprights were encountered with horizontal oak planking surviving to a height of two courses although the original structure was at least one further course. The interior of the tank was separated into five sections.

A series of fills from within the tank suggested a similar period of activity to Tank 1 with evidence of several primary fills high in dissolved salts indicating its main period of use subsequently sealed by a layer [1285] containing quantities of intact artefacts suggestive of deliberate deposition.

Phasing for Tank 2 varies a little from Tank 1, dendrochronology dating suggests a felling date for the timber between AD 130-7 followed by a period of use represented by the primary fills of the tank. The evidence from layer [1285] suggests a period of deposition in the mid to late Antonine period (AD 150-193) followed by a period of inactivity similar to that seen in Tank 1. The evidence for a second period of deposition is less clear in this tank, however, layer [1279] that containing animal bone and some pottery of an early to mid 3rd century date. Finally the tank was infilled with an accumulation of peat and sealed by clay.

A series of wicker lined pits were also encountered to the west of the two brine tanks including pits [1052, 1053, 1054, 1072, 1099] with a lining primarily constructed from roundwood vertical staves and interwoven with roundwood sticks. Two additional pits [1096, 1157] contained planked wooden troughs. Pit [1157] was sub-circular measuring 5.1m by 4.36m and narrowing towards the base of the pit. The wooden trough [1264] was located approximately 0.35m below the top of the pit measuring 0.6m deep, 2.5m long and 0.8m wide. Pit [1096] measured 7m in length and 4.1m in width and was cut to a depth of 1.2m. Finds recovered from the pits suggest a period of activity in the 2nd century.

<2> Nevell, M & Fielding, A., 2005, Brine in Britannia: Recent archaeological work on the Roman salt industry in Cheshire (Monograph). SCH7341.

<3> Jonathan GA Lageard & Ian B Drew, 2011, Salt in Cheshire (UK): Heritage, Recreation & Education (Graphic Material). SCH9656.

Poster summarising history and importance of salt-working industry in Cheshire. Includes pictures of the excavations at Kingsley Fields including the outline of a brine tank, surrounded by orange clay, lined with oak trunks and planks, and which was filled with Roman rubbish including glass, pottery, bones, millstones, leather, a wooden spade and cooking utensils. The site is now a housing estate.