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ImagesImages courtesycourtesy of:of: CheshireCheshire CountyCounty CouncilCouncil ChesterChester City City Council Archaeological Archaeological Service Service The GrosvenorEnglish Heritage Museum, Photographic Chester City Library Council The GrosvenorAlex McNeill Museum, Photography Chester City Council RomanIllustrations Middlewich by Dai ProjectOwen The Salt Museum, Northwich University of Manchester Archaeological Unit Warrington Library, Museum & Archive Service Manors, From Farm Moats and to Fortress OrdnanceOrdnance Survey Survey StatementStatement ofof PurposePurpose Monasteries TheThe Ordnance Ordnance Survey Survey mapping mapping within within this this documentdocument is is provided provided by by Cheshire Cheshire County County CouncilCouncil under under licence licence from from the the Ordnance Ordnance Survey.Survey. It It is is intended intended to to show show the the distribution distribution TheMedieval Romans ofof archaeological archaeological sites sites in in order order to to fulfil fulfil its its 24 publicpublic function function to to make make available available Council Council held held publicpublic domain domain information. information. Persons Persons viewing viewing thisthis mapping mapping should should contact contact Ordnance Ordnance Survey Survey CopyrightCopyright for for advice advice where where they they wish wish to to licencelicence Ordnance Ordnance Survey Survey mapping/map mapping/map data data forfor their their own own use. use. The The OS OS web web site site can can be be foundfound at at www.ordsvy.gov.uk www.ordsvy.gov.uk Enter the Romans The Roman army arrived in The Roman army had been province so were not Roman Britain in 43AD, settling present in Cheshire for around citizens and were either infantry initially in the south before 20 years before the fortress at or cavalry. Two military diplomas moving north to subdue the Chester was built. The first legion found in Middlewich and Malpas native tribes. stationed there was the Second were issued to soldiers from Legion Adiutrix. When they were cavalry units. They may have By 79AD, a legionary fortress called away to defend mainland been stationed here or settled in was built at Chester. This was Europe around 87AD, the fortress Cheshire after retirement. one of three permanent was occupied by the fortresses built in Britain; each Twentieth Legion, Northwich was home to an entire legion Valeria Victrix. They The auxiliary fort in Northwich (between 5,000 and 6,000 men). rebuilt much of was founded around 70AD and the fortress in then abandoned for a time The local tribe was the Cornovii. stone and their before being rebuilt in the Before the arrival of the Romans, emblem, the 2nd century. In 1969, a rare they were farming the land and running boar, cavalry helmet (below) was producing salt from the brine was stamped found suggesting there springs of central Cheshire. on the roof may have been tiles used on cavalry units in The Romans built roads to allow new Cheshire in the efficient transport of troops buildings the 1st Chesterton) meet at and supplies and these linked (right). century AD. Middlewich where Cheshire to Roman settlements the Rivers Dane and Croco across Britain. Important local Auxiliary Forts Middlewich have natural fords. The fort was routes linked the industrial As well as the legion stationed at Geophysical built as a permanent structure settlement of Wilderspool, the Chester, there were other soldiers survey work and around 70AD and occupied until trading post of Meols on the at auxiliary forts at Northwich excavation have 130AD. The forces stationed here Wirral coast and the salt making and Middlewich. Auxiliary forts confirmed that there was an are likely to have been in control sites of central Cheshire. were built to accommodate auxiliary fort at Middlewich on of the salt working settlement on between 500 and 1000 men. Harbutt’s Field. Five Roman roads either side of King Street, the The soldiers were recruited from (from Chester, Warrington, Roman road from Warrington to the local population of a Whitchurch, Buxton and Chesterton. A Place to Live Civilian Settlements Farmsteads Only soldiers could live within the walls of Little is known about the settlements of the the forts so the area immediately outside native population in Roman Cheshire, though a was home to traders, craftspeople and farmstead has recently been excavated at Birch soldiers’ families. Other civilian settlements Heath, Tarporley. A number of circular buildings also grew up close to the military bases but with a boundary ditch were found and a wide away from their control. There were two range of Roman pottery including fragments of civilian settlements on the outskirts of the mortaria, cheese presses and amphora. The legionary fortress at Chester, at Heronbridge amphora would have held olive oil imported and Saltney. The settlements would have from Spain, which shows the Roman influence had traders and workshops to service the on this local farming community. needs of the troops. Hypocaust at Eaton Villa Villas The villa at Eaton by Tarporley is so far the only known villa in the North West. A stone villa was built at the end of the 2nd century on the site of an earlier timber building. It was a winged corridor villa with five main rooms and two projecting wings. One of the wings held the bathhouse and many of the other rooms had hypocausts (under floor heating systems). The walls were decorated with wall plaster and there were mortared pebble floors. Reconstruction of Eaton Villa Roman bronze saucepan Making a Living from Nantwich Salt grained salt. Before lead pans were used, the Recent excavations on the west bank of the Salt has been extracted from the brine springs brine would have been heated in pottery River Weaver at Nantwich have revealed a salt of central Cheshire since the Iron Age. Salt was containers, fragments of which have been production site of Roman date. A side road highly valued for its preservative and flavouring found at salt making sites across Cheshire. connected it to the Middlewich to qualities. Recent excavations at Nantwich and Whitchurch road. Middlewich have produced spectacular The salt was removed from the pans and left evidence for Roman salt production. Here the in wicker baskets to dry before being Waterlogged conditions have ensured the waterlogged conditions have preserved organic transported in sacks or baskets. survival of two large timber-lined tanks and material such as wood and leather. several basket-lined pits, features associated with Middlewich brine processing. The timber-lined tanks were Large wood-lined tanks were used to collect Excavation since the 1960s has found evidence later used as rubbish dumps and large amounts the brine which flowed from springs. The of large scale salt production in Middlewich. It of well preserved Roman artefacts were found. brine was removed in buckets to small barrels is likely that when the fort was built, the army where any sediment could settle before the also took control of the brine springs. After Northwich salt was extracted by boiling they left, salt production continued into the The Roman settlement of Northwich lies at 4th century. By this time, it may have been the confluence of the Rivers Weaver and under the control of the Christian church, as Dane. There is evidence for Roman an inscription on a lead salt-pan suggests. occupation on either side of Watling Street, as it approaches the Weaver. Finds suggest that Nantwich occupation began towards the end of the first Folded lead salt-pan The road from Middlewich to Whitchurch century, flourished in the second, and may passes by Nantwich and until recently there have been in decline by the third century. An A large number of lead salt-pans found near was little evidence of Roman excavation in the gardens Middlewich, Nantwich and Northwich reveal settlement in Nantwich. of demolished houses that the Romans were using the open pan Northwich and Middlewich before redevelopment, method of salt production. were thought to be the main revealed a brine kiln. areas of Roman salt production. Several lead salt-pans of Brine was heated in a shallow lead pan over a Roman date have also fire. Low temperatures made coarse salt Roman salt making site, been found in Northwich. crystals and higher temperatures gave fine Nantwich Roman Cheshire © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Wilderspool Cheshire County Council Licence No. 100019582. 2004 Runcorn Ellesmere Port Northwich Macclesfield Middlewich Chester Saltney Eaton Villa Congleton Heronbridge Birch Heath Did you know... Key Nantwich Malpas Before 197AD soldiers were ● Roman road forbidden to marry. However many did have families who ● Roman site lived outside the forts in civilian settlements. Industrial Activity The salt producing towns would have also Lead was very important to the economy of been involved in other industrial activities. The the Roman empire. Silver for coinage was settlement at Middlewich has shown signs of extracted from lead and the remaining lead metal working, tanning and leatherworking. was used in building, plumbing and for salt- pans. Wilderspool (near Warrington) was an industrial area with iron, glass and pottery making workshops. It is thought to have been occupied from the end of the first century to the third century. Pottery kiln, Middlewich The settlement grew up around the lowest crossing point of the River Mersey. The river would have been crossed by a ford. It would Lead mines also have been the best place for ships to Some of the most important artefacts from offload their cargoes, developing into a port as Roman Cheshire are not made of gold or well as an industrial town. silver. They are made of lead. Pottery There were lead mines in North Wales which were kept under official control. The workers Small scale pottery kilns have been found at would have been criminals and slaves. A Middlewich and Northwich, showing that “pig” or ingot of lead (below) was found local potters were supplying the military with an inscription that shows that the lead market.

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