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An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire by H R Hannaford and Dr C Phillpotts Archaeology Service Community and Economic Services AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION AT NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH, SHROPSHIRE by H R HANNAFORD and DR C PHILLPOTTS A Report for CARTER COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS LTD Archaeology Service Community and Economic Services Report Number 148 © Shropshire County Council September 1998 Winston Churchill Building, Radbrook Centre, Radbrook Road, Shrewsbury , Shropshire SY3 9BJ Tel. (01743) 254018 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire CONTENTS Page No 1 INTRODUCTION 2 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3 2.1 Aims and Objectives of the Evaluation 3 2.2 Methodology of the Evaluation 3 3 THE EVALUATION 4 3.1 THE HISTORY OF THE SITE by Dr C Phillpotts 4 3.2 THE FIELD EVALUATION 11 3.3 DISCUSSION 14 4 RECOMMENDATIONS 16 5 REFERENCES AND SOURCES CONSULTED 18 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 18 ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1: Bridgnorth, locating the study area (1:10,000 scale) Fig. 2: The study area (1:2500 scale) Fig. 3: Copy of a c.1610 plan of Bridgnorth Fig. 4: Site plan showing trenches and principal archaeological features (1:500 scale) Fig. 5: Trench A - plan (top) and northwest-facing section (bottom). (1:50 scale) Fig. 6: Trench B - plan (top) and northwest-facing section (bottom). (1:50 scale) Fig. 7: a) Trench C southeast-facing section; b) trench D, plan; c) trench D, northwest- facing section. (1:50 scale) 1 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Bridgnorth is situated in southeast Shropshire, about 28.5km southeast of Shrewsbury. The town is at a bridging point of the River Severn; the High Town on the west bank stands on a sandstone promontory overlooking the river and the Low Town on the east bank. 1.2 There is currently a proposal for a new retail development and associated new road on land off Northgate and Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth. The proposed development site lies on the north side of High Town on land currently occupied by a former garage, car- parking and garages, and various outbuildings. 1.3 The proposed development area lies along the northern edge of the historic core of Bridgnorth. The line of the medieval town defences, dating back to the early 13th century, runs across the southern part of the site. The eastern part of the development area lies within a late medieval and post-medieval suburb of the town. It was therefore considered probable that important archaeological remains might be affected by the proposed development. 1.4 In view of the potential archaeological significance of the proposed development site it was deemed necessary to undertake an archaeological evaluation of it in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the DoE Planning Policy Guideline No. 16 (Nov 1990). 1.5 .A brief for the evaluation was prepared by the Head of Archaeology, Community and Economic Services, Shropshire County Council. The evaluation was carried out by the Archaeology Service, Shropshire County Council, in September 1998, and this report details the findings of this work. 2 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 2.1 Aims and Objectives of the Evaluation The aim of this evaluation is to provide information that will enable an informed and reasonable planning decision to be taken regarding the archaeological provision for the area affected by the proposed development. The objectives of this evaluation exercise were to locate any archaeological features and deposits likely to be affected by the proposed development, and to assess their survival, quality, condition and significance. On this basis, options for the management of the archaeological resource would be recommended, including any further archaeological provision where necessary (see below, section 4). 2.2 Methodology of the Evaluation 2.2.1 In order to achieve these objectives, the evaluation was required to comprise a field evaluation of the study area. The field evaluation was to comprise a sample excavation within the study area of four trenches. It was required that all excavation should be limited to the top of significant archaeological deposits, with further excavation undertaken only where essential for achieving the objectives of the evaluation. 2.2.2 Documentary research was to be carried out where appropriate to assist with the objectives of the evaluation. A previous desk-top assessment of part of the study area (Phillpotts, 1995) would be drawn upon and supplemented for this purpose. 3 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire 3 THE EVALUATION 3.1 THE HISTORY OF THE SITE by Dr C Phillpotts (edited and additional comments by H R Hannaford) 3.1.1 An archaeological desk-top assessment was carried out by the Archaeology Service in 1995 of the line of the then proposed Whitburn Street Relief Road (Phillpotts, 1995). The study area for this assessment coincided with the northern part of the current study area. The documentary research which formed the basis of this 1995 assessment has been updated and supplemented for the larger area which is the subject of the present study, and is reproduced below. 3.1.2 No evidence of human occupation of the prehistoric, Roman or early Saxon periods has been recorded within the study area or its immediate vicinity. There has been a bridge across the River Severn at Bridgnorth since at least 896AD, and for centuries this was one of only two bridges across the Severn between Shrewsbury and Worcester. In 912AD, Aethelflaeda of the Mercians established a burgh at Cwatbryge, possibly on the promontory on the west bank of the river later occupied by Bridgnorth Castle. (Rowley 1972, 187; Watson and Musson 1993, 95) Bridgnorth is not listed as a separate settlement in the Domesday survey of 1086, but formed one of the 18 berewicks of the manor of Membrefelde (Morville) in Alnothstree Hundred. Before 1066 the manor had been royal land held by Edward the Confessor; in 1086 it was held by Earl Roger of Shrewsbury and the site of Bridgnorth may have formed part of his demesne lands in the manor (Thorn 1986, 4.1.5). Earl Roger's son, Robert de Belleme built a castle at Bridgnorth and moved the collegiate church of St Mary here from an earlier settlement at Quatford. The town at this time is thought to have occupied the outer bailey of the castle. The castle was besieged and captured in 1102 by Henry I and again in 1155 by Henry II. From then on, the castle served as a fortress, gaol, and royal residence until the 17th century. (Buteux, 1996, 2.) The settlement at Bridgnorth gradually superseded in importance both Morville and Quatford, no doubt because of its economically and militarily strategic location. The town had its privileges confirmed by a charter of Henry II in 1157, establishing the town as a self-governing borough with a weekly market and an annual fair on St Mary Magdalene's day. Further fairs were allowed in 1226 and 1359 (Buteux, 1996, 2). The town rapidly outgrew its original boundaries, extending beyond the limits of the castle outer bailey. Initially the town appears to have been extended to the north beyond the castle bailey, with regularly-spaced burgage plots lining both sides of a wide market street (High Street); this work may have been undertaken by the Crown in c.1155-7. The area to the west of High Street was then developed, probably before c.1220, with a series of new streets and burgage plots being laid out. One of the new streets was Whitburn Street, which approached the High Street from the west. Whitburn Street may have followed the line of an earlier route to St Leonard's church (Croom 1992, 27), which is thought to have been the church of a rural settlement or estate engulfed by the growing town. Whitburn Street appeared as Wytebourne in 1258-9 and later as Whitebourne (Watkins-Pitchford 1937-8, 195). A grant was made of rent from a house here in about 1251 (SRRC 1093/2/76). By 1322 there were a number of tenements in 4 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire the street, including a bakehouse and the house of John ad Portam, presumably adjacent to the Whitburn Gate at the western end of the street (SRRC 1093/2/87). In later times the street changed its name to Raven Street because of the Raven Inn on its south side (SRRC St Leonard tithe map). The town expanded further in the later middle ages, with further settlement in Low Town, on the east bank of the river, and some un-planned extra-mural development outside the Whitburn Gate and the North Gate on the west and north sides of the town. The town was a manufacturing as well as a trading centre, and numerous trades are documented in the medieval period (Buteux, 1996, 2). 3.1.3 The Town Defences Between 1216 and 1223 the town was provided with defences of turf and timber, with an external ditch as well on the north and northwest sides of the town. In 1220 Henry III permitted the burgesses of the town to take timber from the royal forest of Worfield for building the town's defences, resulting in considerable damage to the woods, and the borough was also granted a license to collect a murage tax to pay for the defences between 1220 and 1235. The turf and timber defences were later (probably in the 1260s) replaced in stone for most of their circuit (SMR No. SA374) with the exception of the portion next to St Leonard's churchyard.