Monument record MLI84934 - Romano-British saltern at Woolram Wygate, Spalding

Summary

Romano-British saltern at Woolram Wygate, Spalding

Type and Period (5)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

PRN 23833 A geophysical evaluation programme was carried out on land at Woolram Wygate, Spalding. Magnetic susceptibility mapping revealed patterning typical of fenland silts with some local enhancement reflecting modern activity. However, one strong focus was identified, which proved, as a result of follow-up detailed magnetometer survey, to be a significant industrial site, probably a saltern, sealed at a depth of 0.8 - 1m beneath a layer of marine silts. {1} Subsequent archaeological evaluation proved the geophysical findings; trial trenches situated above and around the geophysical anomaly found a number of discrete pits containing briquetage, charcoal and ash. These features were dated to the early Roman period (1st to 2nd century), and were almost purely industrial in nature; no evidence was found of associated settlement. It would appear that salt-making activity ceased at some point during the 2nd to 3rd century, as the local creek environment changed from brackish to fresh water. {2}{3} A Fluxgate Gradiometer (Magnetometry) Survey was undertaken on land at Wygate Park, Spalding as part of a larger archaeological investigation of the proposed development site, in order to place the findings from earlier trial trenches into a wider context. The survey clarified the nature and extent of the saltern site, and its relationship to a nearby palaeo-channel. {4} The saltern site was fully excavated, revealing a complex of hearths and settling tanks surrounded by a deep curving ditch, a layout typical of Roman salterns, and nearly 190kg of briquetage, mostly fragmentary, was recovered from the site. Briquetage forms present include pedestals, slabs and evaporation pan sherds. The settling tanks were clay-lined and showed signs of frequent recutting, possibly indicating seasonal production. The hearths appeared to have been constructed from one dump of clay on an elevated area constructed of waste briquetage. There were several phases of hearths present, with the latest being the best preserved. This was archaeomagnetically dated and appears to have been last used between 80-140AD, most likely around 115AD. To the east of the saltern itself a structural area consisting of a sequence of postholes, curving ditches and possible briquetage floors was present. Little domestic debris was found in this area, suggesting that these structures were possibly storage areas or temporary shelters rather than dwellings. This structural area appears to be unique amongst Roman salterns in Lincolnshire. {5}{6}

Sources/Archives (6)

  •  Report: Oxford Archaeotechnics. 2002. land west of Woolram Wygate and Monks House Lane, Spalding.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. March 2003. Archaeological Evaluation on Land at Woolram Wygate, Spalding. SWW02.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. March 2003. Archaeological Evaluation on Land at Woolram Wygate, Spalding. LCNCC 2001.454.
  •  Report: GSB Prospection Ltd. Jan 2004. Geophysical Survey Report, Wygate Park, Spalding. 2004/06.
  •  Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2006. Archaeological Assessment Report on Land at Wygate Park, Spalding. SWP05.
  •  Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2006. Archaeological Assessment Report on Land at Wygate Park, Spalding. LCNCC 2005.113.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 23128 22866 (112m by 96m)
Civil Parish SPALDING, SOUTH HOLLAND, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Related Events/Activities (5)

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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