Monument record 15088 - Roman Agricultural Remains, West of Wrexham Road

<1> Northern Archaeological Associates, 2020, Archaeological Investigation Report: Wrexham Road, Chester, R4427 (Client Report). SCH8865.

Ditches and pits, some in alignments possibly representing former fence lines, were excavated in 2019 on land located to the west of Wrexham Road. A Roman Samian gaming counter was recovered from the fill of one the ditches dating it to the Roman period. To the east of the site, an extensive Iron Age and Roman settlement was recorded prior to the construction of Chester Business Park; it is likely that the ditches and pits were agricultural in nature and formed part of the wider landscape associated with this settlement.

The excavations also recorded a paleochannel, the edge of which was respected by the terminus of the ditch that contained the Roman gaming counter, suggesting that both features may have been active at the same time. If the field was being utilised for agriculture, it is possible that the paleochannel may have been used for watering crops and/or for watering animals. The infill of the paleochannel is also of interest as each layer contained artefacts from the Roman, medieval and postmedieval periods. This suggested that at some time during the post-medieval period, the paleochannel was purposefully backfilled with material containing Roman and medieval material that may have been brought in from Chester, or from the immediate surrounding area. The inclusion of Roman roof tile suggested that the material came from a site with a Roman building. This material may have either originated from the Chester Business Park site, or an extension of it.