Monument record MLI80763 - Romano-British Site, Michaelgate
Summary
Romano-British Site, Michaelgate
Type and Period (7)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
PRN 70204
An evaluation and successive watching briefs were carried out in this area during residential development. Evidence of Roman occupation was recorded, which included lines of terracing, necessary for the construction of buildings. A line of possible terracing crosses the site itself, running between Beaumont Fee and the line of Gibraltar Steps and eastwards through to the lower garden of the Bishops Old Palace. This line runs approximately along the northern boundary of the site. Further evidence for north-south terracing was found during excavations on the south-west part of the site in 1983; these excavations also revealed evidence for substantial Roman buildings and an adjacent north-south street. The 1997 evaluation succeeded in locating stratified Roman material, but the evidence from the evaluation was too fragmentary to draw any firm conclusions about the topography of the site during the Roman period. Evidence was forthcoming to suggest that the line of a major east-west terrace survives on the site more or less preserved in the later Victorian terrace that is still in evidence today. This was further corroborated during the subsequent watching brief carried out during the redevelopment of the southern part of the site (Stanthaket Court), where evidence for a terrace wall was recorded c.4m to the north of the existing Victorian terrace. The watching brief also revealed further evidence for the presence of a north-south road on the site with the discovery of two north-south walls, that may represent buildings lying on either side of the conjectured line of the street. No evidence for metalling on the street was found.{1}{2}
In the northern part of the site, evidence for further buildings was recorded. A clay floor seems to indicate the presence of a building, rather than a retaining wall, an interpretation reinforced by the probably contemporary east-west wall to its north. This east-west wall foundation and one course of stonework was faced on the north and south sides, which may indicate the presence of a building rather than a retaining/terrace wall. This wall appears to have been buttressed - two abutting stub walls were found on the south side. The buttressing was probably necessary due to the wall's hill-slope position and the presence of natural springs on the hillside, which may have undermined the wall's stability. The buttresses are thought to be later additions, as they abutted the east-west wall, and were not keyed into it. Foundations to the east of the suspected street may have had a retaining/terrace function. The two parallel walls to the west of the buttressed wall may be a drain or other feature associated with an attempt to formally manage the springs. This interpretation is substantiated by the presence of silt deposits.{1}{2}
Also, located in the south-west of the site (Plot 1/2), was a possible post hole with packing, suggesting that there was some kind of structure present there. A possible pit was also recorded. The pottery assemblage indicates that the site was of some status due to the presence of imported wares. It also demonstrates that there was early and very late Roman occupation in this part of the city. {3}{4}
A watching brief carried out on Plot 3 revealed further evidence for the east/west terrace wall in two separate locations. Quantities of ceramic building material (including tegulae and imbrices) and pottery dating from the mid-3rd to the mid-4th centuries were also recovered.{5}{6}
Construction work during 1983 revealed remains of Roman structures and a mosaic. This was investigated further in 1983-4 and discovered to be a large building consisting of at least 12 rooms. {7}{8}
Sources/Archives (8)
- <1> SLI5994 Report: City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit. June 2000. Watching brief on development on land at St. Michael's Terrace, Michaelgate. MGB99.
- <2> SLI5995 Archive: City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit. June 2000. Watching brief on development on land at St. Michael's Terrace, Michealgate. LCNCC 179.99.
- <3> SLI6015 Report: City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit. 1999. Residential Development, Michaelgate, Lincoln. SPMC97.
- <4> SLI6016 Archive: City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit. 1999. Residential Development, Michaelgate, Lincoln. LCNCC 134.97.
- <5> SLI6797 Report: City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit. May 2001. Plot 3, St Michael's Terrace, Michaelgate, Lincoln. MGC00.
- <6> SLI6798 Archive: City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit. May 2001. Plot 3, St Michael's Terrace, Michaelgate, Lincoln. LCNCC 2000.184.
- <7> SLI11204 Article in Serial: Jones, M and Stocker, D and Trueman, M. 1983. Archaeology in Lincoln 1982-1983. pp 27-28.
- <8> SLI11205 Article in Serial: Snell, Andrew. 1984. Archaeology in Lincoln 1983-1984. pp 11-14.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 97509 71633 (54m by 74m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | CARHOLME, LINCOLN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (6)
- Event - Intervention: Archaeological excavation at Spring Hill/Michaelgate, 1983-4 (ELI7518)
- Event - Intervention: Plot 3, St Michael's Terrace, Michaelgate, Lincoln (ELI2070)
- Event - Intervention: Trial trench on land at St. Michael's Terrace (ELI1284)
- Event - Intervention: Watching brief at Spring Hill/Michaelgate, 1983 (ELI7516)
- Event - Intervention: Watching brief at Stanthaket Court (ELI1293)
- Event - Intervention: Watching brief on land at St. Michael's Terrace (ELI1283)
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Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
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