An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, ,

CONTENTS Page No SUMMARY 2 1 INTRODUCTION 2 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 2 3 THE DOCUMENTARY RESEARCH 3 4 THE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY 4 5 DISCUSSION 5 6 RECOMMENDATIONS 5 7 REFERENCES AND SOURCES CONSULTED 6

ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1: Location map Fig. 2: Study area, showing principal results of geophysical survey

1 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

SUMMARY There is a proposal to construct a car park on land at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Because of the high incidence of early settlement remains in the area, it was deemed necessary to undertake an archaeological evaluation of the site. The evaluation was to comprise documentary research and a geophysical survey, with trial excavation dependent on the results of these. The documentary research revealed no evidence of settlement on the site, although the geophysical survey did record a possible archaeological feature. Trial excavation of this feature is recommended.

1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Emstrey lies within the modern of on the west bank of the some 3.5km southeast of the centre of Shrewsbury (Fig. 1). The River Severn forms the eastern boundary to Emstrey, and at the heart of the area is the important modern road junction between the A5 Shrewsbury By-pass, London Road (the former London to Holyhead trunk road and now the Shrewsbury to Atcham road), and Thieves Lane (part of the former Shrewsbury Ring Road).

1.2 There is currently a proposal to create a landscaped car park on land adjacent to London Road, Emstrey.

1.3 The area around the site is rich in early settlement remains, and it has been suggested that there is a strong possibility that archaeological remains exist on the site of the proposed car park. In view of the potential archaeological significance of the site, it was deemed necessary to undertake an archaeological evaluation of it.

2 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

2 AIMS, OBJECTIVES, AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE EVALUATION 2.1 A brief for this evaluation was prepared by M D Watson, Senior Archaeologist, Leisure Services Department, Shropshire County Council (Watson, 1993).

2.2 The aim of this evaluation is to provide information enabling an informed and reasonable planning decision to be taken regarding the archaeological provision for the area affected by the proposed development.

2.3 The objectives were, firstly, to locate any archaeological features and deposits likely to be affected, and to assess their survival, quality, condition, and significance. Options for the management of the archaeological resource, including any further archaeological provision considered necessary, would then be identified and recommended.

2.4 To achieve these objectives, the evaluation of the site was required to comprise three elements, namely documentary research, a geophysical survey, and sample excavation.

2.5 The Archaeology Unit of the Leisure Services Department, Shropshire County Council, was commissioned by the County Surveyor's Department, Shropshire County Council, to conduct this evaluation. It was required by the project sponsors that the documentary research and geophysical survey be carried out and reported on prior to any trial excavation being agreed. The documentary research and geophysical survey were carried out in October and November, 1993, and this document is the report on this phase of the evaluation.

3 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

3 THE DOCUMENTARY RESEARCH 3.1 The manor of Emstrey is first recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086. At this time and throughout the Middle Ages it lay within Condover Hundred. Ecclesiastically it formed part of the parish of Atcham, as it remains to the present day. It has been suggested that the name Emstrey derived from "Eilmundes treow" - Eilmund's tree (Bowcock, 1923), although a more recent authority suggests it means "Minster church on an island site" based on its Domesday spelling of "Eiminstre" (Gelling, 1990). There is no trace of a church within the area today, although in the pre-conquest period Emstrey appears to have been a prosperous manor, quite capable of supporting a minster church. The main part of the manor comprised an estate of nine hides of land which in 1066 were worth 100 shillings, but by 1086 had increased in value to £11 (Thorn, 1986). It also included a plot in "the City" (presumably Shrewsbury) worth 2 shillings. Before 1066 the land had been held by Edwin, Earl of Mercia who rebelled against, and made peace with, King William at least twice, and was finally killed in 1071. In 1082 Emstrey was granted by Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, to the newly founded , the Domesday Survey confirming that by 1086 the Church (Shrewsbury Abbey) held the estate. Another hide of land of the estate, worth 5 shillings, formerly held by Aelfric, had also been acquired by the Church of St Peter (Shrewsbury Abbey) by 1086 (Thorn, ibid.).

3.2 During the later middle ages, according to a Rent Roll of 1490, Emstrey formed part of the Abbey's estate of Hernesse, which stretched along the west bank of the River Severn from Abbey Foregate to Atcham (Eyton, 1858). Shortly after the Dissolution, the manor of Emstrey seems to have been held by one William Gratewood, who in 1572 sold it to a Thomas Bromfield, and from whom it descended (presumably in the 18th century) to Sir J T Jones (Local Studies Doc. No. D03571). A Thomas Jones of Stanley, Shropshire, presumably a relative, held the estate in 1735 according to an answer to court proceedings (SRO 161/1).

3.3 Meanwhile, the tithes of the estate had been assigned separately, the right to them being sold in 1582 by an Edmund Downing and a Peter Ashton (who presumably acquired them after the Dissolution) to a John Biste. The tithes were held for a rent to the Crown of £1 6s 8d per annum "by fealty in free socage and not in capite nor by knight's service". The tithes passed by marriage to Edward Cludde Esq. of Orleton, Shropshire, and a descendant of his, Richard Colefax, had his right to the tithes confirmed in 1726 (Local Studies Doc. Nos. D15764 and D15766). In a terrier of 1718 the houses in Emstrey between the road and the river are assessed at 4d per house for "Hay, Wool, Lambs, Piggs, Geese, Eggs, Fruit, Hemp and Flax in kind and all other small tithes" (Local Studies, Shropshire Parish Documents).

3.4 The study area itself first appears in the historic record as a field named "Upper Quarry" on the 1849 Tithe Map (Foxall, 1972). The boundaries of this field have remained unaltered to the present day, with the exception of the construction of a smallholding in its southwest corner in the late 19th/early 20th century. In the present century the field has been subdivided internally, although with the exception of the boundary which forms the eastern limit of the study area, these

4 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

internal subdivisions have now been removed (Fig. 2). The study area thus occupies the western ¾ of the former "Upper Quarry" field.

3.5 In 1634 40 tons of stone from a quarry at Emstrey (Shropshire Sites and Monuments No. SA2967) was used for repairs to the English Bridge, Shrewsbury (Watson, 1983). This quarry is located at the northeastern corner of the study area, directly abutting onto it, and it is this that presumably gave the name "Upper Quarry" field to the study area. The quarry produced a red sandstone of the (Dune) type of Permian deposition (Toghill, 1990 Fig. 4). It appears to have gone out of use by the late 18th century (Watson, 1983).

3.6 A search of the aerial photographic record held by the County Sites and Monuments Record revealed no additional evidence of archaeological features within the study area.

3.7 The current tenant of the site supplied the information that c25 years ago cattle infected by an epidemic of foot and mouth disease were buried on the site. Whilst he could not be precise about the exact size and location of the burial pit, he thought it covered an extensive area in the eastern half of the study area (W H Lloyd, pers. comm.). The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food's records do not extend back far enough to confirm the existence or extent of this burial site. However, the Animal Health section of the Shrewsbury office of the Ministry was able to provide the information that any burial would have been required to be covered by a minimum of 6 feet of soil. They also requested that they be informed should the pit be revealed during the course of any excavations, and that permission would be required from the Ministry for the excavation and reburial of any animal remains from such a burial pit. It was felt unlikely that the contents of the pit would present any bio-hazard beyond those normally encountered during excavation on agricultural land.

5 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

4 THE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY 4.1 The geophysical survey of the proposed development site was carried out on behalf of the Archaeology Unit by Geophysical Surveys of Bradford. A full report on the geophysical survey appears as a separate document (Geophysical Surveys, Report No. 93/125), but the results of the survey will be drawn on below to supplement the evidence from the documentary research, and to provide an integrated summary of the overall significance of this first phase of the evaluation.

4.2 No obvious anomalies of definite archaeological potential were identified by the survey, although a number of more ephemeral anomalies were recorded which the coordinators of the survey suggested might benefit from further archaeological investigation.

4.3 Two parallel linear features (Fig. 2; A and B) about 100m apart were recorded running across the study area from north to south. These features correspond to modern (20th C) field boundaries identified during the documentary research (see above). An area of increased magnetic noise was recorded at the eastern end of the study area, within which a curvilinear feature (Fig. 2; C) of possible archaeological formation was identified (Geophysical Surveys, 1993).

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5 DISCUSSION 5.1 The documentary survey did not identify any recorded occupation of the study area. It is likely that throughout the historic period, the site has been used for agricultural purposes. Similarly, there is no aerial photographic evidence to suggest past occupation of the site.

5.2 A post medieval quarry is known at the northeast corner of the study area. Access to this quarry may have been through or along the eastern edge of the study area; the quarried stone may equally well have been transported by water along the River Severn.

5.3 The geophysical survey identified three linear features. Two of these can be recognised as modern field boundaries identified by the documentary research. The third may represent an archaeological feature of unknown date or function.

5.4 The location of the postulated recent animal burial pit was not identified by the geophysical survey. It may be that it lies outside the area covered by the survey, or alternatively that the area of increased magnetic noise at the eastern end of the survey may be associated with this feature.

6 RECOMMENDATIONS 6.1 A curvilinear feature of possible archaeological formation was identified by the geophysical survey at the eastern end of the study area. It is recommended that this feature be further investigated by means of trial archaeological excavation in order to determine its significance.

6.2 Any excavation work undertaken on the site should bear in mind the possibility of encountering of the postulated animal burial pit (see above, para 3.7).

7 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

7 REFERENCES AND SOURCES CONSULTED

Bowcock, E W, 1923: "Shropshire Place Names", Shrewsbury Eyton, Rev R W, 1858: "Antiquities of Shropshire", vol VI, pp170-3 Foxall, H D G, 1972: Fieldname map based on Tithe Apportionment and Map for Atcham Parish, 1849. Gelling, M, 1990: "The Place-Names of Shropshire, Part One", EPNS vol LXII/LXIII for 1984-5 & 1985-6 Geophysical Surveys of Bradford, 1993: "Emstrey, Shrewsbury: Report on Geophysical Survey", Report No.: 93/125 Local Studies Library, Shrewsbury (nd): "Shropshire Parish Records", Shropshire County Council Local Studies Library, Shrewsbury, Document Nos: D03571 D15764 D15766 Shropshire Record Office - Document Reference Nos: 1313/200 227/1 112/8/2 840/Box 116/83-5 161/1 Thorn, F and C, (eds) 1986: "Domesday Book, Shropshire", Phillimore, Chichester Toghill, P, 1990: "Geology in Shropshire", Swan Hill Press, Shrewsbury Watson, M D, 1983: "A5 Field Survey Project", SNL 17 Watson, M D, 1993: "Brief for an Archaeological Evaluation of Land at Emstrey, Shrewsbury", Shropshire County Council

8 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION AT EMSTREY, SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHIRE

Part One: The Documentary Research and The Geophysical Survey

by H R HANNAFORD

A REPORT FOR THE COUNTY SURVEYOR'S DEPARTMENT, SHROPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

The Archaeology Unit

Leisure Services Department Report Number 40 November 1993 Winston Churchill Building, Radbrook Centre, Radbrook Road, Shrewsbury , Shropshire SY3 9BJ Tel. (0743) 254018

9 An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

An Archaeological Evaluation at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

by H R Hannaford

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