This report presents the results of four evaluations (two followed by excavation) on the north side of Roman Worcester. The structural evidence comprises a scatter of pits (including from sand/gravel quarrying) and ditches, a roadway, two wells and overlying dark earth, with activity covering about 300 years. The environmental evidence (plant macrofossils and insects) generally suggests open ground/pasture as the backdrop.
Finds dominate the reporting. Waste products of ironworking are ubiquitous, though the lack of associated features implies that they represent background noise. The slag report for 18–24 The Butts is most illuminating — analysis of the ore makes a convincing argument that it derives from the Forest of Dean. With smelting not in question, the extent of smithing is noted next, the general presence of spheroidal hammerscale being taken to indicate that this was potentially on a larger scale than on the Deansway site further south, while no mention of plate hammerscale may point to the initial stage of bloom working. Coal is noted as a first in the city area; this has long been considered normal on sites roundabouts, especially where smithing was likely.
The finds reports also feature some fine and unusual objects: a decorated glass vessel and a ceramic tazza, as well as some rich waterlogged deposits at three locations. The pottery reports are a valuable contribution. Reference to the military character of the early Roman pit group from 8–12 The Butts is intriguing and will no doubt be revisited in future. A passing reference to Malvernian oven material remains just that. Some illustrations are marred by the quality of line work (figs 5.17–5.20), and one diagram (fig. 5.16) needs the key making clearer. Consideration might have been given to retaining the detailed context/feature pottery discourse in archive, except for any specific notable groups, though whether an organised project archive is available seems unclear.
Sometimes artefactual analysis seems to have been limited in scope (e.g. stone without geological identification), or reporting has omissions (e.g. metalwork sometimes drawn without continuation lines, e.g. fig. 5.9), and judging by comments about the difficulty of identifying corroded objects, ironwork apparently was not radiographed. A stamped post-Roman roof-tile is referred to as post-medieval, whereas such tiles are documented in the mid-fifteenth century.
Though not the subject of this report, English Civil War features crop up across the whole area, with the comment that, where earthworks were thrown up, this might well have protected underlying archaeology (54). In this light it would have been useful to have drawn this evidence together in a figure for future reference. In a similar vein it would be better to have a definitive version of known and projected road lines, as two plans (figs 1.2 and 5.1) show them in slightly different positions.
There is an occasional typo or typesetting issue (e.g. page headings not being right for some chapters); otherwise the report is well presented with a clear and effective structure, and is helped by having the same specialist for each site, especially for the pottery. A coherent account of this area in the Roman period is achieved in the face of a strategy of evaluation and only limited excavation, which is liable to leave many questions only partly answered. Lastly, perhaps, the title could have been better chosen to reflect what has emerged from this very useful synthesis.
