Winscombe Archaeology

 

Discussion

The straight line of the feature, with ditches either side and core of denser material suggests the remains of the agger of a Roman road. The shallow depression along the line of the road probably indicates where the surface has been robbed away. The location of the road would indicate that at the time it was constructed, the sea level must have been approximately at present day levels or even lower. It is entirely possible that elsewhere in the valley some remains of the agger is now buried under a considerable depth of sediment. The surviving few metres of this road is on the only elevated area of ground, although this is barely 1 metre above the valley floor, but sufficiently high for its preservation when the sea level rose and the valley was inundated.  The projected line of this road takes it from Loxton northeast in the direction of the Roman settlement at Wint Hill.  The road would appear to fork about 30m after it leaves the higher ground [Figure  4]. One branch, 10m wide, continuing the original line, and the other, 14m wide, diverging slightly to the south. Here the projected line would take it towards the known Roman road running south of Banwell Hill.

 

 

 

 Figure 4

A resistivity survey made on the line of the road showing possible indications of diverging parallel ditches.

 

It has been shown (McDonald 2000) that sea levels were sufficiently high for a period about 100AD for the valley to have been inundated. The road therefore must have been constructed either soon after 45AD, or late in the Roman period. An early date is postulated for two reasons:

1. Good access to the mining areas of the Mendips from the coast would have been essential early in the Roman occupation.

2. Once the valley had been flooded, routes round the impassable area must have been found and established (or old pre-historic ways utilized). These would not have been easily abandoned in favour of a newly constructed road when the water level fell; indeed it is likely that a new road would have been deemed unnecessary.   

No evidence for a direct road between Loxton and Uphill exists, but if it had been constructed on the flood plain, it may be very difficult to locate. An alternative route to Uphill from Loxton could perhaps have taken the line of the West Mendip Way to the top of the downs and then across Bleadon Hill to the seaport, but this would have entailed a considerable detour. It is even possible that the road terminated at Loxton where there could have been access to the navigable River Axe for transport to Uphill. A number of Romano-British occupation sites have been identified in Loxton (N.Somerset SMR:  87; 90; 94; 95 and 4910).

 

Conclusion

This would appear to be a Roman road constructed between 43AD and c100AD to connect the seaport of Uphill by way of Loxton to the Mendips and beyond. The existence of the road may suggest an early date for Roman sites in the Vale of Winscombe and the surrounding area. An early date would also perhaps suggest a military connexion, possibly with detachments of the legio II Augusta from Caerleon, especially as pottery from Usk and a fragment of Trier black slipped ware have been found in the valley (Matthews 2006).

 

 ALERT wishes to thank the land owner, Mrs S Griffin, for permission to work on her land, and for her continued interest in the project. The Team is grateful to Mr Peter Owen FGS for advice on geological matters (any inadvertent misinterpretation of his opinion is entirely the responsibility of the author).

 

References

McDonald, A.K., 2000. ‘Tidal aggression’, Independent Archaeology, 37,1.

Matthews, J., 2006.  Winscombe Vale pottery typology, Winscombe.

 

 

John Matthews