An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth,

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, , 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 ; 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 . (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 . 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- 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 of for building the town's defences, resulting in considerable damage to the woods, and the borough was also granted a license to collect a 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. Stone gatehouses, including the North Gate (SMR SA379) at the end of High Street, were also added. Further murage grants were made for the construction and upkeep of the walls in 1257-72, 1285-90, and on several occasions in the 14th century. The licence was renewed in 1406-11, at the time of Owain Glyndwr's rebellion.

The arc of the town wall between Whitburn Gate and North Gate ran roughly east- southeast to west-northwest across the southern part of the study area. The alignment can be seen on modern maps along the northern boundaries of some of the plots on the north side of Whitburn Street (OS maps 1884, 1903). Some of these plots cross the line of the wall and it has been suggested that these may have encroached across the line of the town defences; it is equally possible however, that the town defences cut across the tail of existing plots, a situation which has a parallel in Shrewsbury, where the town wall and ditch cut through existing burgage plots on the west side of Pride Hill (Baker et al., 1993, 44).

The filled in moat was located and identified beneath Moat Street during an archaeological watching brief in 1998 (Hannaford, 1998).

3.1.4 Medieval fields The agricultural base of the medieval town was provided by three common fields to the west and north-west of the town, divided into cultivation strips. These were said to be within the liberties of Bridgnorth. Conduit Field, High Field and Hook Field appear on a map of the town of c.1610 (Fig. 3; SRRC 4001/P/1/38 and 39, reproduced in Bellet 1856). In the centre of Hook Field was a large tree, perhaps the oak (hok) which originally named it. The names of the fields and some of the selions into which they were divided still appeared on the tithe map of 1840 (SRRC tithe map of St Leonard, Bridgnorth, and Foxall, 1987). These fields were clearly in use by the 13th century, but it is not known when they were established.

5 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

The northern part of the study area, outside the line of the town defences, lies over an area of early enclosures, shown as such on the 1610 plan, with many still bearing the component "innage" to their names (innage, from the OE inning being an early name for land taken in and enclosed - Foxall, 1980, 6 & 34) on the 1840 tithe map (Foxall, 1987). It is possible that these enclosures were carved out of Hook Field, which may originally have extended eastward as far as Northgate.

In the late medieval period Bridgnorth expanded beyond its walls into suburbs. The principal extra-mural settlement was in the Low Town, to the east of the bridge, but there was also unplanned development outside Whitburn Gate and North Gate. At the North Gate there was encroachment onto the town ditch (Rowley 1972, 189; Croom 1992, 29, 34). Nicholas Palmer owned premises here in the thirteenth century (Eyton 1854, i 369). The old town hall, originally the Guildhall, stood outside the North Gate until 1645, and the Burgess Hall was above the gate itself (Mason 1957, 17; SRRC 4001/E/4, survey of 1693, f6). No evidence has been found that the medieval suburb extended along Northgate as far as the study area.

Medieval Bridgnorth was dominated by the Palmer family. At least two of the family, Master Walter le Palmer the clerk (fl 1250-77) and Nicholas Palmer (fl 1252-83) held land in fields towards the Hok in the 13th century (Eyton 1854, i 369, 373). The southern part of Hook Field, adjacent to the study area, was still called Palmer's Croft in the 18th century (SRRC 3628/1 map V). Master Walter also bought rents in Wytebourn in 1251, and William le Palmer of Croft granted rents to his son John there in 1322 (SRRC 1093/2/76 and 87). At the end of the 15th century the Palmer lands in Bridgnorth and Astley Abbots were inherited by the Horde family, which was prominent in the town until 1601 (Mason 1957, 17-18). Thomas Horde still held parts of Hook Field in 1605 and 1622 (SRRC 1093/2/126 and 131).

Pieces of arable land in Hook Field were sold in 1526, 1594, 1605, 1612, 1619, 1622 and 1677 (SRRC 1093/2/121, 123-33). The Acton family were the eventual beneficiaries of these transactions.

3.1.5 The Post-medieval and Early Modern Periods During the Civil War the town and castle were an important royalist stronghold. On 31st March 1646 the town was attacked by parliamentary forces; the royalist forces retreated to the castle, firing St Leonard's Church and parts of the town; they held out for three months before the castle was taken and slighted.

Despite economic decline in the 16th century, Bridgnorth maintained its manufacturing industries; however, its economy in the 17th and early 18th centuries was heavily dependant on the river trade. In the late 18th/early 19th centuries two new industries, iron founding and carpet manufacturing, were established in Bridgnorth. The latter became the town's most important industry in the 19th century. (Buteux, 1995, 3.)

The lands of the Horde family in Bridgnorth and Astley Abbots were bought by Sir William Whitmore over the period 1612-24. In November 1612 Sir William purchased lands from Thomas Horde including Palmer's Croft, eight messuages and two enclosures, and in the 1630s he acquired the croft on which the House of Correction was built (see below) from the daughters of Thomas Taylor (SRRC 5586/2/2/30). All

6 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire this property was on the west side of the Northgate road. At the height of their wealth in 1754-95, Sir William's descendants, the Whitmores of Apley, owned 12,000 acres in Shropshire, including Bridgnorth Castle, and they dominated the political life of the town until the 19th century (Mason 1957, 18). By 1777 they owned almost all the land on the west side of the road outside the town walls (SRRC 3628/1 map V).

The map of c.1610 shows in a conventional manner the small enclosures in the eastern and south-eastern parts of Hook Field, adjacent to Northgate and the town walls. The first detailed map of the area in 1777 shows the basic pattern of these enclosures as extending back in narrow rectangles from frontages on Northgate road. Behind these the study area ran on into an enclosed portion of Palmer's Croft (SRRC 3628/1 map V).

This linear suburb was a fairly open area of gardens and orchards, barns, warehouses and pigsties, on both sides of the road. To the east of the road was Brian's Orchard, known from 17th- and 18th-century wills, leases and deeds (SRRC 775/211, 213, 214). The Actons owned several closes on the edge of Hook Field on the west side of the road in the 17th century, including Barber's Orchard (SRRC 1093/2/133/2). To the south of this was The Sling, and to the south again Chapell Close. By 1704 these were all held by Thomas Wild, a brickmaker, although it is not clear if he exploited the site for brickmaking (SRRC 2028/1/2/218, calendared in Boycott collection list p193).

A barn had been built on the east side of the road by 1605, on ground formerly used as a garden (SRRC 1093/2/126). Elsewhere in the Northgate suburb were barns leased from the town bailiffs by Thomas Holland, Richard Dovey and Hugh Savedge by 1612. These were described as built on waste land, and therefore probably bordered the road or the ditch. Dovey's barn had been built by his father shortly before 1578 (SRRC 4001/E/3; 2028/1/2/92, calendared in Boycott Collection list p281). Over the area of the town ditch between North Gate and St Leonard's churchyard a series of pigsties, dung yards, warehouses and stables had appeared by the 1690s (SRRC 924/390; 4001/E/4, survey of 1693, f6).

No buildings appear here on the map of c1610. However, dwelling houses and public buildings were by now interspersed along the road among these agricultural buildings. The town gaol or House of Correction was built between the west part of the North Gate and the town ditch. It had been established by 1608, when John and David Pearce sold its site to Thomas Taylor (SRRC 5586/2/2/30 p39). A new lockup and gaoler's house were built in the mid 19th century (see below, section 3.1.7).

Eight messuages with named tenants were included in the sale from Horde to William Whitmore in November 1612, on the west side of the road (SRRC 5586/2/2/30 p44). In 1693 Abedingo Perkins had encroached onto the town's land outside North Gate by extending his house to make a shop with a room over it (SRRC 4001/E/4, survey of 1693, f8). On the east side of the road a house and buildings had been erected on Brian's Orchard by the Talbot family before 1733 (SRRC 775/213, 214). In the 17nth century the Actons owned two house plots and a great garden, stretching from behind Talbot's houses to St Leonard's churchyard (SRRC 1093/2/133/2). In 1749 seven houses outside North Gate owed a rent of hens to the town bailiffs (SRRC 4001/E/3).

7 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

It has not been possible to trace the exact layout of these buildings and enclosures in the Northgate suburb before the mid-18th century. More precision might be obtained by analysing two sets of leases of Whitmore property in Bridgnorth at SRRC in the 17th century (5586/2/2/30 pp63-87, leases valid in 1667; 5586/5/4/2, fifty copy leases of 1647, which could not be found in the SRRC strong room).

3.1.7 18th- and 19th-century houses and fields From the mid-18th century the locations of buildings and enclosures in and around the study area are shown more precisely on a series of maps.

A very sketchy map of Bridgnorth in the middle of the century shows houses extending along the west side of Northgate to a point opposite Strange Lane (now Cliff Road), just to the south of the study area (SRRC 4034/1). On a map of Whitmore lands in Bridgnorth in 1777, the built-up frontage of the west side of Northgate is shown as extending to its current limit on the south side of the study area, with two semi- detached cottages beyond, leased to Thomas Bolton and Samuel Felton. There were two gardens behind the cottages, with a barn to their north (SRRC 3628/1 map V). The two cottages with their gardens appear on a map of the Whitmores' Apley Park Estate in 1803-37 (SRRC 5586/13/27) and a map of St Leonard's parish of about 1830, numbered 12 and 13. The barn had gone, but there was another cottage to the north, also numbered 13 (SRRC 2768/1). These cottages are also shown on the printed map of Bridgnorth by John Wood in 1835 (SRRC 4001/P/1/8). The east ends of their plots appear on the tithe map of 1840 and the cottages on the OS map of 1884. Their site probably lies under the start of the entrance road to the Infirmary, at the north-east end of the study area, and the gardens under the Infirmary building in its northern corner.

At the time of the tithe survey in 1840 Thomas Whitmore owned all the land of the former Palmer's Croft to the north-west of the study area. It was all used as meadows and gardens, except one field which was a cricket ground (SRRC tithe apportionment IR29/29/48). His property also included a number of cottages with yards and gardens in the Northgate suburb, Crown Garden and the gardens between it and the road on the south side of the study area. The land behind the gardens of nos. 12 and 13, and the enclosed part of Palmer's Croft, were in the separate ownerships of C C C Jenkinson and Edward Gittos respectively (SRRC 5586/13/27; 5586/5/3/26 and 27). In 1867 the Whitmores sold the Apley Park Estate and its Bridgnorth property to W O Foster of (Mason 1957, 30).

On the eastern side of the proposed development site, in a semi-derelict state, is a mid to late 19th-century lockup and gaoler's house; this was presumably built as a replacement of the 17th century town gaol mentioned below (section 3.1.6), and is probably on the same site as the earlier buildings. The structure is brick-built, and is shown on the 1884 OS 1:500 town plan. It originally may have had six cells, of which two remain. The original studded wooden doors to the lockup yard and remaining cells survive in situ. According to a local source, part of the south wall of the gaoler's house (which lies on the line of the town wall) was of sandstone, although this could not be verified during the evaluation. The gaoler's house partially overlies the course of the town ditch, and the northern half of the structure shows signs of subsidence.

3.1.8 The Ropewalk

8 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

In the 19th century the northern part of the study area was occupied by a ropewalk and its associated buildings (SMR SA6929) at SO 7144 9332. This presumably made ropes for the barge trade on the River Severn. It is not shown on the tithe map, but appears on the OS maps of 1884 and 1903. The ropewalk consisted of a covered walkway, aligned southwest-northeast, with its southeastern side open and with small buildings or sheds at either end. The ropewalk had been demolished by 1924. It is unlikely to have had much archaeological impact on the ground.

There was another larger and earlier ropewalk to the east, on the low ground towards the river (SRRC St Leonard's parish tithe map and field-name map; 4001/E/4, survey of St Leonard's parish 1824; OS maps 1884 and 1903).

3.1.9 Modern developments Thomas Whitmore donated land to the town of Bridgnorth to construct an Infirmary in 1835 (SRRC Watton's Cuttings iii 64). Three cottages of the Apley Park Estate were sold to the Infirmary late in the 19th century, presumably those numbered 12 and 13 on the plan of c1830 (SRRC 5586/5/3/26 and 27). The current Infirmary building was constructed to the north of the study area at some time between 1884 and 1903.

In the 19th century the Smithfield was established to the southwest of the study area. By the early 20th century the Smithfield had extended to the northeast, and two large buildings and a small tank had been built to the northwest of the ropewalk by 1903. The Smithfield cattle market was later extended further to the northeast over the site of the ropewalk. The eastern part of the study area has been occupied by the Northgate Garage and its sheds. In the central and southern parts of the study area, the property boundaries between the old burgage plots have gradually disappeared, and this part of the site has in recent years been used as a car park.

9 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

3.2 THE FIELD EVALUATION 3.2.1 Four trenches were excavated with a JCB mechanical excavator down to the top of archaeologically significant features and deposits. The trenches were then cleaned by hand, sampled where appropriate and recorded.

3.2.2 Trench A In trench A the natural red gravely clay subsoil (Fig. 5; 79) was encountered at a depth of 1.4m below the present ground level (ie at 66.06m AOD) at the northwestern end of the trench. A layer of grey brown sand (61) containing 12th- to early 13th-century pottery lay on top of the natural clay. Two circular pits (98 & 100) had been cut into the top of this layer, although they are likely to belong to a much later date. The sandy layer had also been cut by a large ditch (76) at the northwestern end of the trench. Only the southeastern edge of the ditch was seen in the end of the trench, but its location, alignment, and stratigraphic relationship with later deposits suggest that this feature was indeed the Town Ditch. A thin layer of red clay (78), presumably upcast from the ditch, lay over the lip of the ditch and the edge of the brown sandy soil (61). 4 metres to the southeast, a dump of buff gravely clay (74) and red pebbly clay (41) had also been placed over the brown sandy soil (61). This dump of clay probably represented the remains of the rampart which, together with the ditch at the northwestern end of the trench, formed the early 13th-century town defences. The top of the rampart lay at a depth of 0.24m below the present ground surface (ie at 67.30m AOD). The top of the rampart had been cut along its front (northwestern) edge by a linear feature (77) containing the decayed red sandstone footings of a narrow wall, possibly the remains of a stone facing or re-facing of the rampart. This feature, and the rampart, were both cut by large a circular pit (40) whose fill (39) contained 13th- to 14th-century pottery. The outer (northwestern) face of the rampart was uneven and showed signs of having been disturbed; deposits of light brown sand (73 & 72) lay against the face of the rampart.

The top of the ditch at the northwestern end of the trench and the front edge of the rampart were then sealed by a dark brown silty sandy loam (71) up to 0.55m thick. The end of an episode of truncation of the rampart was marked by a thin deposit of a more compact brown sandy silty loam (68). This was cut by a number of modern features, including a pit (26) whose black sooty fill contained a number of metal artefacts (ie a kettle and a bucket) and scrap, and a post-hole (28). These were sealed by a thin layer of compact grey silty yard and garden soil (64 and 65), and the hard-core (63) and tarmac (62) of the present car park. The concrete floor of a former shed also lay immediately beneath the tarmac at the northwestern end of the trench.

3.2.3 Trench B The top of the natural subsoil, consisting of a light yellowish brown sand (Fig. 6; 60) was seen at a depth of 1.7m below the present ground surface (ie at 66.00m AOD) in trench B. The natural subsoil was cut by a large feature (94) at least 6.4m wide (the northwestern edge of the feature lay beyond the northwestern end of the trench. Like the feature seen at the northwestern end of trench A, this feature, from its size, location, and stratigraphic relationship with overlying deposits, could be identified as the town ditch. The upper fill (93) of this feature was similar to that of the ditch (76) in trench A, and consisted of a brown sandy loam, with fragments of mid to late 17th-century slipware pottery evident in its surface. The line of the ditch to the northeast ran beneath the northwestern half of the gaoler's house, which shows signs of subsidence at this point.

10 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

In the southeastern half of the trench, a yellowish brown sand (51), probably the surface of the natural subsoil, lay at a depth of 0.67m below the existing ground surface (ie at 67.16m AOD). A bank of red pebbly clay (47), similar to that seen in the southern part of trench A had been laid on this sand. This deposit probably also represented the remains of the rampart of the medieval town defences.

A red sandstone wall (52) had been terraced into the yellowish brown sand (51) and was built up from the top of the lighter sandy subsoil (60). The top of the wall was visible in the present ground surface. The wall was about 0.9m thick, and was bonded with a gritty buff mortar; its northwestern side was faced in squared ashlar blocks, and there was evidence for a chamfered plinth course. The relationship between the wall and the clay rampart behind had unfortunately been destroyed here by a number of features. One of these was a linear feature (96) whose fill (48) contained sandstone fragments and may have represented the remains of an earlier stone facing of the rampart - similar to the feature (77) seen cut along the top of the rampart in trench A. A truncated post hole (50) and a post-medieval animal burial had further disturbed the deposits immediately behind the wall at this point. The size, location, and alignment of this wall confirmed that it was a section of the Town Wall.

In front of the wall and sealing the top of the ditch, was a sequence of tipped and dumped deposits and made ground (56, 55, & 87), cut by a number of large rubbish pits (89, 91, & 86), dating from the mid 17th to the 19th centuries. A partial collapse of or damage to the northwest face of the town wall was repaired with a rebuilt wall of unbonded red sandstone (54); the deposits immediately behind (53) and in front of this wall contained 18th-century pottery. These deposits were sealed by a dark grey yard or garden soil (84) and a layer of chippings (83) which formed the present ground surface. On the southeast side of the town wall, the rampart was sealed by a layer of dark greyish brown silty sandy loam (84), and the hard-core (43) and tarmac (42) of the present car park.

3.2.4 Trench C In trench C the natural sandy subsoil (Fig. 7a; 9) was seen at a depth of 0.7m below the present ground surface (ie at 66.50m AOD), and was seen to lie over deeper deposit of red sandy clay and gravel 10). A series of cultivation furrows (3, 5, & 7) were cut into the surface of the subsoil, on a north-south alignment, and these were sealed by a brown sandy cultivation soil (2). This lay beneath a dark grey yard or garden soil (1) which in turn lay beneath the chippings and cinders of the modern yard surface (0).

3.2.5 Trench D The surface of the natural sandy subsoil (Figs. 7b & 7c; 37) was seen at a depth of 1.3m below the present ground surface (ie at 66.30m AOD). This was covered by a layer 0.35m thick of a darker brown sand (22), probably representing the disturbed surface of the natural. Into this layer had been cut a ditch (21) 1.1m wide by up to 0.45m deep. The fill of the ditch was sampled and produced a single sherd of medieval pottery of c. 13th-century date and a fragment of clay roof tile of medieval or early post-medieval date. The top of the ditch fill and the sandy layer (22) through which it had been cut was uneven, showing signs of having been disturbed, possibly by cultivation furrows similar to those seen in trench C. These deposits were sealed by a layer of dark brown sandy

11 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire silty loam (36) and a very dark grey sandy, humic loam (35), both probably representing cultivation soils. These were in turn sealed by a modern yard surface comprising a layer of cinders and chippings (34 & 33), buried beneath the hard-core (32) and chippings (31) of the present car park surface.

12 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

3.3 DISCUSSION 3.3.1 The medieval town defences were seen in both trenches A and B, excavated at either side of the present car park. The defences appear to have originally consisted of a clay rampart, datable from pottery finds to the 13th century, with a ditch set between 3 to 5 metres beyond. The ditch, from the evidence from trench B, would appear to have been over 8m wide in its final form. The rampart showed signs in both trench A and B to have been faced in stone from an early date. In both trenches, this stone had been almost entirely robbed away. In trench B a more massive sandstone town wall was seen to have been built against the outer (northwest) face of the rampart, and partly terraced into the natural subsoil beneath. This wall survives to a height of 1.7m and its top is visible in the present car park surface. There was no direct dating evidence for the construction of this wall from trench B, although it must have been built before the middle of the 17th century (and probably considerably earlier), when rubbish was dumped over the top of the wall, sealing the top of the town ditch, which had entirely silted up by this time. There was no evidence for such a substantial re-facing of the rampart in trench A.

3.3.2 The site of the proposed new store will coincide with a section of these remains of the town defences in the western part of the study area. In this area the top of the remains of the 13th-century rampart lie as little as 0.24m below the present ground surface. The top of the town ditch here lies at a depth of 1.24m below ground level.

3.3.3 The access road into the car park for the proposed new store will also cross the line of the town defences on the eastern side of the development site. Here the top of the remains of the 13th-century rampart lies at a depth of 0.3m below the present ground surface, and the top of the sandstone town wall lies at ground level. The top of the town ditch lies at a depth of 1.78m.

3.3.4 Between these two areas, the town defences will lie beneath the proposed new car park. There is no reason to suppose that in this area the town defences will be any less well preserved.

3.3.5 Inside the line of the town defences, the proposed development site encroaches upon the tails of the burgage plots on the north side of Whitburn Street. This area has been occupied since the mid 13th century, and archaeological features and deposits associated with these 700 years of occupation are certain to survive in this area. This part of the proposed development site has been designated for car parking

3.3.6 To the north of the line of the town defences, the existing car park and garage buildings lie over garden and agricultural soils which have been worked as such from the medieval period until the middle of the present century. The trial excavation revealed that minor agricultural features in the form of cultivation furrows and drainage or small boundary ditches of medieval or early post-medieval date survive here cut into the surface of the natural subsoil. This confirms the conclusions of the desk top assessment which indicated that this area had until the later 19th century been largely agricultural land, having been divided up into small closes since the early 17th century. In the 19th century this area was given over to gardens, backyards, and allotments, a usage which continued until the middle of the present century. The only development within this

13 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

area was a ropewalk, in use from the mid 19th until the early 20th centuries which ran under the northwestern edge of the proposed new store and car parking area, and two late 19th or early 20th century buildings, presumably associated with the Smithfield, to the northwest of the ropewalk, which lie beneath the line of the proposed Whitburn Street - Northgate link road.

3.3.7 Development of the Northgate extramural suburb also appears to have begun in the early 17th century. The town gaol had been established by 1608 probably on the site of the 19th century lockup and gaoler's house which lie just within the eastern side of the study area. Development northward along the Northgate Street frontage, however, appears to have stopped just to the south of the study area until the early 19th century.

14 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

4 RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1 A well preserved section of the town defences in the eastern part of the development area is threatened by the construction of an access road and new car-parking area. In this area, the top of the town wall is visible at ground level and the rampart lies at a depth of 0.3m below the ground surface. This section of the town wall is sufficiently well preserved as to merit preservation in situ. This might be achieved by diverting the southern end of the access road to the new car park to avoid the line of the town wall, and building up the new car park from existing ground levels. The town ditch at this point lies some 1.8m below the present ground surface and is unlikely to be affected by the proposed works in this area.

If it is not possible to avoid disturbance to the town defences in this area, then this section of the town wall and rampart should be preserved by record by means of full- scale archaeological excavation.

4.2 The southeastern side of the proposed new store is likely to destroy a 30m long section of the rampart of the 13th-century town defences and overlie a similar length of the town ditch. Whilst this section of the town defences is not of sufficient quality as to merit preservation in situ, it nevertheless merits preservation by record. This should take the form of full-scale archaeological excavation of a sample area of the rampart and also of the town ditch, if the latter were likely to be disturbed.

4.3 The top of the rampart of the 13th-century town defences probably lies at between c. 0.25 and 0.3m depth beneath the ground surface running across the proposed car parking area between the two areas detailed in sections 4.1 and 4.2. If groundworks associated with the laying out of the proposed new car park can be restricted to a depth of 0.25m below ground level in this area, then no further archaeological provision need be made for this area. If groundworks will exceed this depth, however, then provision should be made for the archaeological recording of threatened sections of the town defences.

4.4 Archaeological remains associated with the medieval and later occupation of the burgage plots on the northwest side of Whitburn Street may be encountered during the laying out of the car park. It is recommended that an archaeological watching brief be maintained during groundworks in this area. Provision of time and resources should be made for the recording of significant archaeological features or deposits revealed in this area.

4.5 It is recommended that an archaeological watching brief also be maintained during groundworks in the area which lies beyond (ie to the north and northwest of) the line of the town defences.

4.6 Likewise, it is recommended that an archaeological watching brief be maintained during groundworks in the area of the Northgate street frontage where the new Whitburn Street Northgate link road will meet Northgate.

4.7 The 19th-century gaoler's house and surviving lockups lie within the application area, although appear to be are outside the area of the proposed development. It is not known

15 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire at this stage what proposals exist for these buildings, which are in a semi-derelict state. It is understood that these buildings are not listed. Because of their rarity and the preservation of a number of their original features, it is recommended that these buildings be recorded before any substantial alterations or demolitions are carried out.

16 An Archaeological Evaluation at Northgate/Whitburn Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

5 REFERENCES AND SOURCES CONSULTED Baker, N J, Lawson, J B, Maxwell, R, and Smith, J T, 1993: Further Work on Pride Hill, TSAHS LXVIII, 1-64 Buteux, V, 1996: Archaeological Assessment of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, Hereford and Worcester County Council, County Archaeology Service Report No. 301 Hannaford, H R, 1998: A Watching Brief at Moat Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, Shropshire County Council Archaeology Service Report No. 140 Foxall, H D G, 1980: Shropshire Field-Names, Shrewsbury Foxall, H D G, 1987: Field-name map based on the Tithe Apportionment and map for Bridgnorth St Leonard, 1840 1:500 Shropshire Sheet Nos. LVIII.8.22 and LVIII.8.23, 1884 Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Sheet No. SO7292-7392 (1970 Revision) Pee, E H, nd: Map of places of interest in Bridgnorth before the mid 17th-century, SRRC 6007/108 Phillpotts, C, 1995: An Archaeological Evaluation of the Proposed Whitburn Street Relief Road, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, Shropshire County Council Archaeology Service Report No. 73 Rowley, T, 1972: The Shropshire Landscape SRRC 4001/P/1/39 Map of Bridgnorth c. 1610 Thorn, F and C (eds), 1986: Domesday Book: Shropshire, Chichester Watson, M, and Musson, C, 1993: Shropshire from the Air: Man and the Landscape, Shropshire Books, Shrewsbury Wood, J, 1835: Map of Bridgnorth, SRRC 4001/P/1/8

ABBREVIATIONS AOD Above Ordnance Datum DoE Department of the Environment OE Old English OS Ordnance Survey SMR County Sites and Monuments Record, Shire Hall, Shrewsbury SRRC Shropshire Records and Research Centre TSAS Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society TSAHS Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society VCHS Victoria History of the Counties of : A

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writer would like to thank Paul Williams, Emma-Kate Burns, and Jonathon Millard for their help with the site investigations. The JCB mechanical excavator was supplied and operated by Les Powell of L C Powell Plant Hire Contractors, Shrewsbury. Site accommodation was generously made available by Mr W Parr.

17 the study area

© Crown copyright

NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH 1998 Fig. 1: Bridgnorth, locating the study area (1:10,000 scale) the study area

© Crown copyright

NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH 1998 Fig. 2: The study area (1:2500 scale) NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH 1998 Fig. 3: Copy of a c.1610 plan of Bridgnorth new C roads car parking

car parking

D gaoler's house

line of town ditch B

new line of store town wall and rampart

A

0 20 metres

NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH 1998 Fig. 4: Site plan showing trenches and principal archaeological features (1:500 scale) N

26 76 38 97 74 39 41 61 28 78

75 99 40 80

NW SE 62 63

65 68 66 67.00m 64 25 41 72 38 71 74 AOD 69 41 71 73 61

61 78 75 61 79

0 2 metres

NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH 1998 Fig. 5: Trench A - plan (top) and northwest-facing section (bottom). (1:50 scale) N

54

50

52 51 52 93 60 47 48 51

NW SE

68.00m 43 42 AOD 83 44 45 46 84 46 53 52 47 86 87 54 50 48 87 51 92 52 91 55 89 56 57

60 94

0 2 metres

NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH 1998 Fig. 6: Trench B - plan (top) and northwest-facing section (bottom). (1:50 scale) SW NE

67.00m 0 AOD 1 2 4 6 8 9

10 a)

N

37 20 21 101 20 37

b)

NW SE

31

32 33 34 67.00m 35

AOD 36

20 22

37 c)

0 2 metres

NORTHGATE/WHITBURN STREET, BRIDGNORTH 1998 Fig. 7: a) Trench C, southeast-facing section; b) trench D, plan; c) trench D, northwest-facing section. (1:50 scale)