Internet Archaeol 9. Hunter-Mann. Introduction 3

1.3 The Welton Road site

figure 3 - clickable map of trenches excavated
Fig.3: Location of the Trenches at Welton Road (clickable map)

This report in Internet Archaeology deals with the results of archaeological excavations on a site south of Welton Road and east of the Roman walled settlement (SE 94102675; Fig.3). The site measured 274m long (north-south), and was barely 10m wide at the north end, but widened in four stages to a maximum width of approximately 211m at the south end. The excavations were undertaken in advance of a proposed housing development, as part of the planning process. In 1991 Humberside Archaeology Unit undertook an evaluation of the site. A geophysical survey was carried out, and 15 trial trenches were excavated (Fig.3 Trenches A-O). The evaluation revealed considerable evidence of activity dating to the Roman period, notably Roman settlement, and a range of colour-coat wares dating to the later 2nd or earlier 3rd centuries, probably of local manufacture (Steedman 1991).

Consequently, York Archaeological Trust carried out extensive excavations in the northern part of the site, where it was likely that the archaeological deposits would be affected by the construction work (Fig.3, Trenches 1-4). A watching brief was maintained over the rest of the site (referred to as Trench 5).

Excavation was largely limited to those archaeological deposits that would be disturbed by the housing development. The greatest destruction was by the access road from Welton Road, which was excavated as Trench 2. The general building works to its east were examined in a large, open area (Trench 1). Two house plots to the west were also investigated (Trenches 3 and 4). The examination of many areas was restricted to planning the top of the archaeological deposits. A further complication was that furrows caused by medieval ploughing had removed some of the Roman deposits, and isolated most of the rest in the ridges between the furrows. As a result, the archaeological picture is fragmentary, and dating evidence was not obtained from many contexts.

View a site phasing diagram

1.4 Post-excavation methodology

At the post-excavation stage, stratigraphically related contexts representing the same activity were grouped together. These groups formed the framework of the Level 3 archive report. For details of the excavation and recording system, and the post-excavation process, see the Level 3 report in the York Archaeological Trust archive. The finds and the written records, including copies of the Level 3 report, are held by Hull and East Riding Museum under the accession codes WRB 91 and KINCM,1994.294. Three-digit context numbers are from the evaluation, those of four digits from the main excavation.

The context groups identified in the Level 3 report have been amalgamated into ‘Phases', which represent more widespread land-use of a similar nature (such as a field system). Finally, the phases have been grouped into chronological ‘Periods'.

View the Period/Group concordance