Richard Cuttler

The site of Delamere Street lies just outside the North gate of the Roman and medieval Chester (n/w England) and in recent years has been subject to intensive investigation as part of the Gorse Stacks development. This publication represents the culmination of those investigations carried out by Birmingham Archaeology during 2006 and 2008. Contents: 1) The Roman Quarry (R. Cuttler, C. Hewitson and K. Krawiec); 1a) The Excavations (Kristina Krawiec); 1b) The Roman Pottery (Jane Timby (with The Samian Ware by Felicity Wild); 1d) The Roman Ceramic Building Materials (Alison Heke); 1e) The Roman Vessel Glass Glass and Small Finds (Hilary Cool (with The Roman Coins by Roger White); 1f) The Metalwork by Erica Macey-Bracken and Rod MacKenzie; 1g) Bone Artefacts and Craft Waste (Iain Baxter and Malcolm Hislop); 1h) The Animal Bone (Ian Baxter); 1i) The Human Bone (Sam Hepburn); 1j) The Charred Plant Remains (Pam Grinter); 1k) Discussion (Chris Hewitson and Kristina Krawiec); 2) The Post-Medieval Quarry; 2a) The Excavations (Kristina Krawiec, Sam Hepburn, and Chris Hewitson); 2b) The Post-Medieval Pottery (Leigh Dodd); 2c) Small and Other Finds (Leigh Dodd et al); 2d) The Ceramic Building Material and Architectural Stone (Jennie Stopford and Michael Lobb); 2e) The Animal Bone, Human Bone and Shell (Matilda Holmes, Sam Hepburn and Erica Macey-Bracken. 3) The Historical Development of the Post-Medieval Quarry at Gorse Stacks.

The sites investigated are all within small towns or villages that have been the site of continuous settlement since at least medieval times. Consequently, the excavations proved very productive, revealing evidence for a wide range of activities and sometimes considerable spans of occupation. At Woodhurst, a Romano-British settlement was later succeeded by Saxon and then medieval occupation of the same area. Fordham provided a detailed insight into changing patterns of activity in a single location during the Anglo-Saxon period. Investigations at Buckden produced a less wide-ranging but nonetheless significant view of economic activities during medieval times. Finally, the excavations at Soham and St Neots revealed sequences running respectively from the Late Saxon and medieval periods through until modern times.

This report outlines the results of archaeological investigations at Old Hall Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK (NGR SO 916984), carried out between 2000 and 2007. The results of the archaeological work have been combined with documentary, cartographic and genealogical studies, together with finds and scientific analyses, to present a broad interpretation of the history of settlement in the area and the motives behind it.