Heronbridge Roman Site
Encyclopedia
Heronbridge Roman Site is the remains a Roman
settlement on both sides of Watling Street
, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Chester
in Cheshire
, England
, with evidence of industrial activity (furnaces) in the late 1st and 2nd centuries. The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
.
's Big Roman Dig in 2005.
(dated to about AD 200) has been found at the inland port.
After Roman occupation ended, around AD 350, the town decayed into ruin.
military encampment thrown up after the Battle of Chester
(AD 611 according to the Irish Annals). The earthwork was reinforced by masonry recovered from the Roman ruins. Archaeological excavations have uncovered a post-Roman mass grave beneath the defensive earthwork, which may hold Northumbria
n casualties of the Battle of Chester. The battle was an Anglian
victory by King Aethelfrith of Northumbria over a Welsh army.
There are three alternative explanations for the earthwork enclosure, however. One is that it was built by Norse-Irish settlers led by Ingimund, who established themselves near Chester about AD 905 and subsequently tried to capture the city. Second, D-shaped defensive compounds sited beside rivers, such as the Heronsgate earthwork, are a recognised feature of the Viking
era. Third, it could have been constructed very much later, perhaps being one of the positions set up during the Siege of Chester by Parliamentary forces in 1644.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
settlement on both sides of Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with evidence of industrial activity (furnaces) in the late 1st and 2nd centuries. The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
Site investigation
The site was found by chance by a member of Chester Archaeological Society in 1929. It lies in undeveloped land, offering the prospect of a site undisturbed in modern times, with much scope for investigators. Excavations took place in 1930–31 and found human remains with evidence of violent deaths. Further investigations took place in 2003–04, and the site was also a target of the Time TeamTime Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
's Big Roman Dig in 2005.
Roman occupation
The settlement was founded on the west bank of the River Dee in the late 1st century AD. It became a significant settlement, with many established stone buildings and a quayside cut into the bedrock. There are also indications of a river bridge in the area, and evidence of trade in coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
(dated to about AD 200) has been found at the inland port.
After Roman occupation ended, around AD 350, the town decayed into ruin.
Post-Roman
Overlying part of the Roman town's site, between Watling Street and the river, is an enclosure. It is believed to be an Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
military encampment thrown up after the Battle of Chester
Battle of Chester
The Battle of Chester was a major victory for the Anglo Saxons over the native Britons near the city of Chester, England in the early 7th century. Æthelfrith of Northumbria annihilated a combined force from the Welsh kingdoms of Powys, Rhôs and possibly Mercia...
(AD 611 according to the Irish Annals). The earthwork was reinforced by masonry recovered from the Roman ruins. Archaeological excavations have uncovered a post-Roman mass grave beneath the defensive earthwork, which may hold Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n casualties of the Battle of Chester. The battle was an Anglian
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
victory by King Aethelfrith of Northumbria over a Welsh army.
There are three alternative explanations for the earthwork enclosure, however. One is that it was built by Norse-Irish settlers led by Ingimund, who established themselves near Chester about AD 905 and subsequently tried to capture the city. Second, D-shaped defensive compounds sited beside rivers, such as the Heronsgate earthwork, are a recognised feature of the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
era. Third, it could have been constructed very much later, perhaps being one of the positions set up during the Siege of Chester by Parliamentary forces in 1644.