Monument record MLI98864 - Roman industrial activity, Wragby.
Summary
The remains of two tile kilns and associated scatter of Roman pottery and other material on land to the south of Horncastle Road, Wragby.
Type and Period (2)
- ARTEFACT SCATTER (Roman - 100 AD to 400 AD)
- TILE KILN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
A dense scatter of Roman pottery of the second to fourth century including building material and other artefacts, found during field walking in Wragby parish. The site is to the north of the Stainfield Beck and may relate to a similar site (see MLI98865) on the southern side of the beck. {1}
The remains of two kiln structures were discovered in the same location during trial trenching in 2017. These foundations consisted of brick and tile rubble and cobbles within construction cuts, and were sealed by a dark grey silt layer containing a large quantity of Romano-British tile fragments. An east-west aligned boundary ditch was also noted to the southwest of the kilns. A small quantity of relatively fresh pottery was recovered from the fill of this ditch. {2}{3}
Subsequent archaeological excavation in 2021 confirmed that the two structures previously recorded were tile kilns, both aligned northwest-southeast and approximately 11m apart. The northeastern structure comprised a 4.5m x 1.5m brick built chamber at the northwest end, with a flue and stoking/raking out pit to the southwest. The structure was cut into the natural clay and consisted of 8-10 courses of brick or tile bonded with clay. The side walls of the structure were approximately 0.4m (or two tile widths) thick. The outer edges were packed with a deposit of stones and silty sand, presumably to help retain heat within the structure. Large quantities of brick, tile, tegula and imbrex, and fired clay were recovered from the inner backfills of the kiln.
The southwestern structure was not as well-preserved, surviving mostly as a rectangular tile platform. Similarly to the other kiln, this was embedded into the clay natural, and surrounded by a layer of stones. To the southwest of each kiln structure was a northwest-southeast aligned row of postholes possibly representing a fence or windbreak.
Further to the southwest was a rectilinear ditched enclosure, also partly identified during the previous evaluation. Vitrified material, tile, and brick dated as Roman were recovered from the fills of these ditches, making the enclosure contemporary with the kilns. Within this enclosure was a group of eleven postholes, several of which used tile fragments as post-packing. This building's use is unclear, though it was likely associated with the kilns in some way. Sherds of 3rd to 4th century pottery were recovered from the fills of both the ditches and postholes. {4}{5}
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SLI14409 Article in Serial: Wilson, Pete. 2011. 'Roman Britain in 2010, I. Sites Explored, 4. Northern England. LINCOLNSHIRE' in Britannia. vol.42, p.354.
- <2> SLI18000 Report: On Site Archaeology Ltd. 2017. Land at Horncastle Road, Wragby: Report on an Archaeological Evaluation. OSA Site Code: HRW16.
- <3> SLI18001 Archive: On Site Archaeology Ltd. 2017. Land at Horncastle Road, Wragby: Report on an Archaeological Evaluation. LCNCC: 2016.178.
- <4> SLI18005 Report: Allen Archaeology Ltd. 2023. Archaeological Mitigation Report: Strip, Map and Record and Archaeological Monitoring on Land off Horncastle Road, Wragby. AAL Site Code: WRHR 21.
- <5> SLI18006 Archive: Allen Archaeology Ltd. 2021. Archaeological Mitigation Report: Strip, Map and Record and Archaeological Monitoring on Land off Horncastle Road, Wragby. LCNCC: 2021.53.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TF 1413 7763 (113m by 112m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | WRAGBY, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (3)
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jun 4 2024 9:19AM
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