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Excavations at Portchester Castle, Hants, 1961–3. First Interim Report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2011

Barry Cunliffe
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Extract

Portchester Castle remained untouched by archaeologists until the Office of Works took charge of the site in 1926. From that date until 1938 tidying up operations were carried out, entailing the excavation of moats and the general lowering of the ground level within the Inner Bailey. In 1956 Mr. R. Robertson-Mackay, on behalf of the Ministry of Works, supervised the digging of a trial trench, to the south of the present road, across the line of the second Roman ditch outside the west wall of the fort. In June and July 1961, the writer excavated an area, 100 ft. by 30 ft., against the inside of the west wall, to the south of the Landgate, the work being organized by the Ministry of Works as a rescue excavation prior to the proposed construction of a changing-room and lavatory. The site was later considered to be unsuitable for such a structure, but it was decided to conduct further excavations, the first phase of which (Easter 1962—Easter 1963) was designed to examine the Roman defences. The work was carried out with the co-operation of the Ministry of Public Building and Works and was financed by grants from the Libraries and Museums Committee of the Portsmouth City Council, the Hampshire Field Club, and the Joint Archaeological Committee.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , September 1963 , pp. 218 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1963

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References

page 218 note 1 I would like to express my thanks to those members of the staff of the Ministry of Public Building and Works who have helped in various ways, and to the Custodian, Mr. C. R. J. Sheppard, the Works foreman, Mr. R. Sandars, and his men at responthe Castle, whose help and kindness have made the excavation a pleasant one. Professor I.A. Richmond, F.S.A., and Professor S. S. Frere, V.P.S.A., very kindly read this report in typescript and made many valuable comments.

page 218 note 2 I am grateful to the many people who helped in the excavations and in particular to Miss E. Amos, Mrs. F. Cunliffe, Mr. D. Baker, B.A., and Mr. A. Norton, B.A., who were present through out the whole of the work. Mr. Baker was responsible, in addition, for site photography,

page 218 note 3 Including the Ordnance Survey map of Roman Britain.

page 218 note 4 C. E. Stevens, Arch. J. xcvii, 138, n. 2.

page 220 note 1 The only modern account of the medieval castle is in the Ministry of Works guidebook Portchester Castle by Sir Charles Peers. This supersedes a fuller but less accurate description in V.C.H. Hants, iii, 151.

page 221 note 1 e.g. Pevensey, Burgh, and Richborough. J.R.S. xxii, 60.

page 221 note 2 Exch. K.R. 479, no. 21.

page 221 note 3 Hollow bastions contrast with the solid bastions at Burgh, Bradwell, Lympne, and Pevensey; and with the thick masonry platform across the top of the Richborough bastions.

page 222 note 1 Since this was written a section was dug across both ditches at right angles to Bastion I, by Mr. A. Norton assisted by Mr. R. Hyde. The results obtained support the figures here quoted.

page 222 note 2 Portsmouth Evening News, 13th July 1933.

page 222 note 3 Williams-Freeman, Field Archaeology as illustrated by Hampshire, 394–5.

page 222 note 4 The Landgate excavation was limited by the presence of a public lavatory and its drains. In the reconstructed plan (pl. xxxiv) the jambs are based on the Watergate, where fuller excavation was possible.

page 223 note 1 There are references in the Pipe Rolls of 1172–4 (Pipe Roll, 20 Henry II) to work on bridges, gates, and wall.

page 223 note 2 In 1338 (Exch. K.R. 479, no. 18) mention is made of blocking a door in the ‘barbican’. This may be the blocked door which can now be seen leading from the staircase to the original upper floor of the gate.

page 223 note 3 Butler, Antiq. Journ. xxxv, 221. It is, however, possible that the medieval arch referred to is built of reused Roman material.

page 225 note 1 Reference to building is made in Exch. K.R. 479, no. 18.

page 226 note 1 Dr. J.N. L. Myres kindly examined the sherds and suggested their date.

page 226 note 2 For the original see Plutnmer and Earle, Two Saxon Chronicles, 14–15. Translated in Whitelock, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 11.

page 227 note 1 Mr. D. W. Phillipson reported on the coins. The list includes all the coins known by us to have come from the castle.

page 227 note 2 Antiq. Journ. xxvii, 157.