Greyfriars Quarter Redevelopment – further excavation of the Roman ‘Barton’ cemetery in Gloucester
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Cotswold Archaeology has just started the last phase of excavation at the former GLOSCAT Media Studies site, part of the Greyfriars Quarter development by Linden Homes, and already some interesting Roman finds have been discovered, including burials and pottery.
A fragment of decorated Roman pottery found on site
Work began on 9th January 2017 on the final excavation area, located opposite the Museum of Gloucester at the intersection of Kiln Close and Brunswick Road.
The first burials from the ‘Barton’ cemetery were discovered during the construction of the Media Studies building in 1966. During redevelopment in 2013 and 2014, Cotswold Archaeology discovered, as well as 153 burials and four cremations, a further Roman enclosures, trackways, pits, a well and two kilns.
The cemetery was founded towards the later stage of the Roman era and burial continued to the end of the Roman period. The ‘Barton’ cemetery probably stretched from the East Gate to the south-eastern corner of the colonia. The excavated burials were characterised by few grave goods and by a high level of fractures, suggestive of a relatively poor, hard-working population.
Excavating a Roman well
Laurie Coleman, CA’s Principal Fieldwork Manager, overseeing the archaeological fieldwork, said: “This final phase of work is a great opportunity to further examine the Roman cemetery and to see if the burials closer to Brunswick Road are earlier and/or of a higher status than those we found three years ago.”
Chris Harris, Managing Director for Linden Homes, said: “This is a very important area, steeped in history and it’s incredibly exciting to find out more about Gloucester’s fascinating past. We fully support the archaeologists in their vital work and look forward to learning new information about the city during the Roman period and the people living within it.”
Cotswold Archaeology and Linden Homes are working closely with Gloucester City Council’s City Archaeologist and final phase of excavation is expected to take several weeks.
