Monument record 719 - Condate - Roman Settlement

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ67SE3, E.G., 25/11/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

(Area SJ 654736) Northwich, at the confluence of the Rivers Weaver and Dane, is 'Condate' of the Antonine Itinerary (the name 'Condate' means confluence). (source 2)
Condate has often been identified with Kinderton, near Middlewich, on place name derivation, but Kinderton was 'Cindretune' or 'Cynolds's tun' which has nothing to do with Condate. The itinerary places Condate on the direct route between Chester and Manchester, which Kinderton is not. Both Stukeley (source 3) and Horsley (source 4) identified Condate with Northwich, however, Watkin (source 5) using the above name derivation and the evidence of early writers, thought it to be Kinderton.
According to Watkin the Roman station at Northwich was mainly in the area called Castle Northwich on the west side of the Weaver nearly opposite its junction with the Dane. No trace of a rampart is visible although in 1725 it was said that one angle remained.
Finds of pottery and coins are mentioned by early writers and Watkin lists the following:-
Cinerary urns, horse trappings and coins from 'Oakleigh', Winnington Hill.
Mortaria from Castle Northwich.
Pottery, tiles, coins and a bead from near Highfield.
A large quantity of pottery when excavating for New End Cottages, Navigation Road.
A quern, urn and spoon at the foot of Winnington Hill.
The coins listed by Watkin are of the 1st century AD except for one of Aurelian (270-275 AD).

<2> I.A. Richmond, O.G.S. Crawford, 1949, The British Section of the Ravenna Cosmography, p.29 (Article in Journal). SCH9564.

<3> Stukeley W, 1727, Itinerarium Curiosum, p.54 (Book). SCH1495.

<4> Horsley J, 1732, Britannia Romana, p.415 (Book). SCH449.

<5> Thompson Watkin W. T., 1886, Roman Cheshire: A Description of Roman Remains in the County of Chester, p.243-59 (Book). SCH2878.

<6> Thompson, F.H., 1964, A History of Cheshire. Volume Two: Roman Cheshire, p.243-59, 1836 (Book). SCH2862.

In 1725 an angle of a 'Passe & Vallum' was said to mark the true position of the military station. Archdeacon Wood mentions a profusion of 'Roman antiquities' having been discovered at Northwich and adds 'Northwich is a Roman Station and judging from its position and from the large remains of foundations of buildings which have been dug up, and the antiquities which have come to light,it must have been a situation of commanding strength and of very considerable importance.

<6> Thompson, F.H., 1964, A History of Cheshire. Volume Two: Roman Cheshire, p.88-91, 1965 (Book). SCH2862.

There is evidence for Roman occupation on either side of Watling Street, as it approaches the Weaver. Finds suggest that occupation began towards the end of the first century, flourished in the second, and may have been in decline by the third. Extensive salt deposits in the area may have been the reason for settlement.

<8> Royal Archaeological Institute, 1845-Present, Archaeological Journal, Vol 128, p.31-77, Jones G D B, 1971, 'Excavations at Northwich (Condate)'. (Journal/Periodical). SCH338.

Account of programme of rescue excavation undertaken between 1967-1970 in the area south of Waterloo Road, during demolition of existing housing and construction of new houses. Roman features recorded included a two-phase road lined with buildings, an area of iron furnaces, a pottery kiln and the Northwich Helmet (found in a pit, in a drainage trench). Also, in 1970, trenches excavated in the garden of Cliff Villa, recorded a substantial ditch and rampart of two phases, interpreted originally as fort defences.

<8> Curzon J.B, 2000, Condate Castellum - The Rediscovery of the Roman Site on Castle Hill in Northwich (Book). SCH8153.

Interpretative synthesis of Roman Northwich based on the results of the excavations undertaken on Castle Hill from 1967, including the theory of an earlier fort centred around the area south of Waterloo Road, and a later, larger fort to the north-west. It discusses evidence for Roman industries found in Northwich including iron smelting (excavation of iron furnaces), pottery production (pottery kiln at 26 Waterloo Road) and salt production (finds of lead salt making pans in 1864 during construction of a dock and at Harrison's Place). Also evidence for Roman burials in the Verdin Park area and Winnington Lodge.
Includes photographs of some of the excavations including Roman timber buildings found at the Dairy Dig and Waterloo Road, the defensive ditch at the Zion Chapel, the Roman pottery kiln and clay pit at Waterloo Road, iron furnaces at Highfield and Roman finds fromQueensgate.

<9> Jones G D B, 1992, Condate - Roman Northwich: The Last Hurrah (Unpublished Document). SCH3820.

Notes on excavations on Castle Hill, Northwich, for lecture at Cheshire Archaeology Day 1992.
Summary account of the excavations at Northwich undertaken by the Department of Archaeology, University of Manchester, from the 1970s, in association with the Northwich Archaeological and South Trafford Archaeological Groups. The excavations occurred in response to 'urban infilling' where there were difficulties of interpretation due to Georgian/Victorian disturbance, also the high water table and sandy sub-soil. The area of Castle consistently produced large quantities of Roman material, but by following excavations in the late 1960s it was clear that an early Roman fort occupied the hilltop, forming a link on the strategic route between Chester and York. Evidence lay principally on discovery of two-phase rampart and ditch (in the garden of Cliff Villa) forming a north-eastern defensive ditch which could belong to a fort or possibly an annexe. Buildings and an internal road were also recorded (south of Waterloo Road) along with a later pottery kiln.

In the 1970s and 1980s further excavations revealed evidence for a fort straddling Chester Road. The northern, eastern and western defences were located. The western defences had been moved eastwards over the life of the fort to reduce its size. The reduction in size of the fort probably occurred circa 100 AD. The demolition of the fort, on the evidence of samian pottery, appears to pre-date the foundation of the Antonine Wall (circa 142 AD). Civilian settlement then spread over the area of the fort seemingly in the form of strip buildings running back from the line of the Roman road. Civilian settlement does not seem to have extended far into the third century. The find of a kiln in Waterloo Road, together with the considerable quantity of dumped first/second century AD pottery found at Weaver Street, could indicate that Northwich was a major pottery production centre alongside other examples such as Wilderspool and Holt and that this area could be regarded as an organised, military annex, adjacent to the main fort.

<9> Cheshire County Council, 2002, Cheshire Historic Towns Survey: Vale Royal Borough Part 1: Archaeological Assessments, p.4-5 (Report). SCH4760.

The important strategic position of Northwich, together perhaps with the presence of brine springs, led to the establishment of an auxiliary fort on the west bank of the River Weaver in the area now known as Castle, elements of which were excavated from 1983 onwards. Two periods of military occupation were identified: the first began around AD 70 and the second finished around AD 140 and there was apparently a gap between the two phases. During the second phase the fort was reduced in size. Excavations in the interior discovered the remains of barrack blocks and a major courtyard building interpreted as a praetorium (commandant’s house). The section of rampart and ditch excavated in 1970 (at Cliff Villa), was also originally interpreted as belonging to a fort, however, reassessment (G.D.B. Jones) has suggested that this rampart belonged instead to a military annexe of the fort, rather than forming a separate fort.
The discovery of large quantities of pottery in excavations at Weaver Road, around 200m south-west of the fort area, suggests the presence of a civilian settlement (vicus) outside the fort and that Roman Northwich may be a more major pottery production centre than hitherto has been recognised. A rich collection of Roman artefacts (pottery, coins, spearheads, melon beads) discovered over the years at properties along Queensgate indicatees that activity extended north and west of the fort and may represent traces of civilian vicus alongside Chester Road.
The discovery of cinerary urns off Winnington Lane suggests an extramural cemetery lay in this area. A possible cemetery is also located along Watling Street to the south-west of Northwich.
It is suggested that the auxilliary fort went out of use around 140 AD, but civilian settlement probably continued at a reduced level. It may be that the settlement and industrial activity was largely focused on supplying the army.

<10> University of Salford (Centre for Applied Archaeology), 2016, Rediscovering Roman Northwich. Phase 1: Assessment of the Archaeological Archive, p.59 (Report). SCH8149.

Excavations and stray finds over the last twenty years indicate that the settlement occupied the whole of the area of Castle Hill between Chester Road and the River Weaver, as well as extending down the north-eastern slope of the hill to the confluence of the Rivers Dane and Weaver. Finds include beads, gaming counters, coins, samian wares, painted pottery, glass and metal work, including spearheads, iron tools and keys.
There is an indication of industrial zoning within the settlement. The Waterloo road area has produced extensive remains of metal working, with closely spaced iron furnaces, with some set in lean-to sheds, also bowl furnaces and pits possibly for iron roasting/smelting. Iron furnaces were also found at Highfield on the escarpment edge. Later activity in this area includes the pottery kiln of late 1st/early 2nd century date. Several stamped mortaria have been found, one with the stamp of a Wilderspool potter (BRICO), but others potentially representing local potters. The excavations at Weaver Road, to the south-east of the fort, recovered a large quantity and variety of pottery, tiles and tile wasters, molten glass and other finds, along with multi-phase structures. The 1983 excavations (Bowling Green) also recovered pieces of waste lead and a small crucible. Finds of timbers on the wet bank of the River Weaver in the 19th/20th centuries suggest the presence of a quay below the forts site.

<11> Various, Written Communication to the HER, 10/04/2024 (Written Communication). SCH3756.

GIS extent of settlement created to reflect that depicted in source 10.

<12> Jonathan GA Lageard & Ian B Drew, 2011, Salt in Cheshire (UK): Heritage, Recreation & Education (Graphic Material). SCH9656.