Brough-on-Humber is a small Roman town situated close to the north bank of
the Humber estuary in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is one of the few urban sites of this
period known from the region. Having its origins in a Roman fort constructed in
the 1st century AD, the settlement appears to have developed unusually. There is
some debate over the nature of the post-fort occupation, with suggestions that
it was a military supply-base, or that it was civitas capital of the
Parisi, the local Romano-British tribe.
In the latter part of 1994, excavations at Welton Road, Brough-on-Humber,
were undertaken by the York Archaeological Trust, in advance of building work.
These were the first major archaeological investigations to have taken place in
the extra-mural area of the settlement.
Period 1 Phase 1 A series of ditches forming
elements of a field-system were discovered. They marked out the corner of an
enclosure and part of a drove-way. Other features included a number of plough
marks and possible eaves-drip gullies of a haystack.
Period 1 Phase 2 The ditches from the earlier
field-system were cut by new ones, possibly indicating a change in the layout
of the ditch-system. They may have enclosed strips of land aligned north-south.
There is also some indication of the deposition of sandy deposits for levelling
purposes.
Period 2 Phase 1 In this phase there is a
major change in the ditch layout to an east-west alignment. To the east of the
excavated area was a concentration of features including a well and two
post-pits. This probably dates to the late 1st century.
Period 2 Phase 2 The ditches were cut by a
probable palisade of a late 1st or early 2nd century date, possibly related to
the military settlement in the walled area.
Period 3 Phase 1 The remains of a Roman road
were observed, probably that which ran from the east gate of the walled
settlement. It dated to no earlier than the later 2nd century. To the south the
alignment of the boundary ditches was altered to be parallel with the road.
Large quantities of a locally produced colour-coated pottery were recovered
from this area.
Period 3 Phase 2 The Period 3.1 features are
sealed by dumps of sandy loam. These extend into an area of low-lying ground
south of the road, and may have been intended to reduce the gradient of the
steep eastern edge of the low-lying ground.
Period 4 Phase 1 A large ditch parallel to
the road was cut into the dumps from the preceding phase. It may have divided
the roadside area from the land to the south.
Period 4 Phase 2 A sandy loam dump of
uncertain purpose was deposited to the north of the roadside boundary ditch.
Period 4 Phase 3 A ditch perpendicular to the
Period 3.1 roadside ditch was cut, apparently representing the formation of
roadside plots. There was a possible cremation burial.
Period 4 Phase 4 Scattered dumps of sandy
loam sealed the Period 4.3 features.
Period 4 Phase 5 A large aisled building
incorporating a T-shaped kiln (corn drier) was built immediately to the north of the main
east-west ditch, and another timber structure was built to the south of the
ditch. Post-pits and beam slots marking another building were noted further to
the south. It was adjacent to a number of small pits, one containing the
remains of a human burial.
Period 4 Phase 6 The major ditch was recut,
on a slightly different alignment. The roadside boundary ditches were also
recut. Extensive sandy dumps were deposited, sealing many Period 4.2 features.
Period 4 Phase 7 The east-west roadside
boundary ditch was replaced with a fence. Several small pits were dug along the
fence-line, three of which contained animal burials. South of this fence-line a
series of linear cuts with post impressions in their bases and containing a
stony fill suggested the presence of a palisade. There were indications that it
may have been destroyed by fire.
Period 4 Phase 8 The low-lying area on the
western side of Trench 1 was completely infilled by further dumping.
Period 5 Phase 1 Dumps of silty sand formed a
level surface for the construction of one or two substantial timber buildings
on masonry footings alongside the Roman road. A path was established between
the two buildings, which was carried across the east-west roadside boundary
ditch by a culvert constructed from limestone blocks.
Period 5 Phase 2 Several features, including
a well, were cut into the Period 4.2 infill of the low-lying area. A further
building was constructed over the backfilled Period 4.6 ditches.
Period 6 Phase 1 Considerable quantities of
material were dumped to the south of Building A, sealing many Period 4.1
features. These deposits seem to represent intensive waste-disposal, and may
have been derived from the within the walled settlement. This dates to the late
3rd and early 4th centuries.
Period 6 Phase 2 Large linear deposits of
grey silty clay loam were noted in the south-west part of the site. Its purpose
is uncertain, but may have been either a shallow ditch defending the east side
of the walled settlement, or an element of the medieval ridge-and-furrow. A
ditch indicates a late Roman field-system.
Post-Roman activity: medieval Many of the
Roman layers are truncated by late medieval ridge-and-furrow, aligned
north-south. An east-west medieval ditch, truncated by the ridge-and-furrow,
suggests the presence of an earlier field-system.
Post-medieval An east-west ditch cutting the
medieval ridge-and-furrow may represent a re-organisation of the field-system,
perhaps relating to the enclosure of the parish in 1796. Welton Road was
established in 1812, and a terrace of brick houses was subsequently built
alongside it. Early in the 20th century the rest of the site was turned over to
market gardening.
A large Roman pottery assemblage was recovered from the site, mainly belonging
to the later 2nd and 3rd centuries. The most important aspect of this
assemblage was the presence of a quantity of ‘waste' from pottery
production, suggesting the presence of kilns in the vicinity. The affinities of
the pottery indicate that the potters were Continentals, drawing on traditions
likely to be prevalent in the southern part of the Upper Rhine, arriving as
early as the early 2nd century.
The finds assemblage comprised a wide range of Roman objects, including
personal items such as jewellery, military equipment, and hobnails from shoes.
There are also household items such as glass vessels, an uncommon iron vessel
and possible iron fittings from household utensils. Recreation may be indicated
by a group of re-used pottery roundels. The evidence for craft and industry is
slight, but suggests the presence of metalworkers, a carpenter and someone
working antler. Some finds may have been part of the Roman buildings and
include building stone from several different sources and ceramic building
material. A small assemblage of prehistoric flint was also recovered.
Deposits of Late Iron Age/early Roman to post-medieval date were recovered from
Welton Road. A small vertebrate assemblage from these deposits, dating to the
later 3rd and early 4th centuries, was examined.
Although detailed analysis of the vertebrate data is limited because of the
small size of the assemblages, a number of general points could be drawn. The
meat diet was clearly based on the consumption of beef, with much smaller
quantities of mutton and pork. There was a deliberate selection of adult cattle
which indicated multi-purpose beasts. Primary butchery and intensive
exploitation of the cattle carcass appeared to have taken place on the site,
while there is evidence to suggest that some of the larger joints of meat may
have been consumed, and the bones consequently deposited, elsewhere. The
fragmentary remains of a number of burnt caprovids may represent so-called
‘special deposits'. The assemblage as a whole fits well with others
of contemporaneous date. Other biological remains were scarce and add only a
small amount of additional information.
The discussion examines the
nature of the Roman occupation at Welton Road, Brough-on-Humber. The evidence
for the local pottery production is placed in a wider local and chronological
context. The issue of the status of Roman Brough is also examined. The nature
of the environmental assemblage suggests that the settlement at Welton Road had
more in common with contemporary rural sites than any urban or military
settlements, and that it may have acted as a ‘producer' settlement,
supplying meat to another, possibly military, site.