Element record MCC3077 - Later Roman town ditch, 21 St Peter's Street, Colchester
Summary
Just over 7.5m north of the projected line of the town wall, the metalled surface layers (MCC3076) were cut by the southern edge of what appeared to be of a wide and deep ditch (F5). Given its scale and position in relation to the town wall, the feature is likely to be part of the town ditch.
Location
| Grid reference | Not recorded |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | Not recorded |
| County | ESSEX |
| Non Parish Area | COLCHESTER, COLCHESTER, ESSEX |
Map
No mapped location recorded.
Type and Period (1)
Full Description
Most of ditch was located below the contractor's formation level and as such it was proposed that the town ditch would define the northern boundary of the excavation area. Finds recovered from the ditch indicated it was Roman in date and included numerous Roman brick and tile fragments, animal bone, and copper-alloy slag.<1>
As happened at Balkerne Lane, the butt ends of the town ditch on either side of the N to S street MCC3076 were joined up c.AD 275-300 and the street effectively became a cul-de-sac. It cannot be determined if the gate was blocked at this times as happened to the Balkerne Gate.<2>
Sources/Archives (2)
- <1> SCC1064 EXCAV REPORT: Wightman, Adam (CAT). 2010. An archaeological excavation at 21 St Peter's Street, Colchester, Essex in 2008. CAT report 559.
- <2> SCC100 Monograph: Crummy, Philip. 1981. CAR 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. 3. CAR 3, pp.110-115.
Finds (0)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Record last edited
Dec 21 2016 12:30PM