Archaeology of the M6 Toll 2000-2003

This volume presents the results of archaeological works carried out in advance of construction of the new M6 Toll motorway (formerly known as the Birmingham Northern Relief Road).The new road (44 km in length), leaves the M6 Motorway at Junction 3a, passing between Sutton Coldfield and Walsall to the south and Lichfield and Cannock to the north, and rejoins the M6 at Junction 11a. Forty-one sites were identified and investigated, spanning most archaeological periods from the Mesolithic to the post-medieval and modern industrial landscape of canals, railways and associated infrastructure. Identification of over 1500 pieces of flint, provided evidence for a Late Mesolithic possible winter camp at Wishaw Hall Farm (Site 19) – a notable addition to the archaeological record for transient Mesolithic hunter gatherers in the region. Isolated Neolithic finds and features were recorded including a later Neolithic burnt mound west of Crane Brook (Site 9); and a pair of Early Neolithic pits (containing pottery, charcoal and charred grain and hazelnut shells), fragments of a single Peterborough Ware vessel of Mortlake type and a collection of Early Neolithic pottery all at Shenstone (Sites 13, 15 and 32 respectively). Bronze Age remains were restricted to two burnt mound sites along Langley Brook (Site 39) and Collet’s Brook (Site 40). Middle Iron Age remains were discovered in various places. At Shenstone (Site 14) an oval enclosure and an adjacent roundhouse proved to be largely devoid of finds. At Langley Mill, a large enclosed settlement on the higher ground north of the mill (Site 29) contained at least five roundhouses, the largest having been rebuilt at least twice. This settlement overlooked a smaller enclosure and ring ditches (Site 30) at the foot of the slope on either side of Langley Brook. A Middle Iron Age pit alignment was recorded at Wishaw (Site 19). The individual pits were quite variable, although set at a relatively regular intervals. Few finds were recovered with the exception of one placed deposit of stones, pottery and an inverted human skull. Pit alignments from this period are not uncommon in the region and they appear to characterise a period that focused on linear boundaries and land division.The pit alignment was just post-dated by a substantial. adjacent, segmented ditch – providing a boundary, which was recut in the Romano-British period. At nearby Site 20 were the probable remains of an isolated roundhouse. Burnt stone filled pits along the bank of the stream were certainly prehistoric, possibly Iron Age. Romano-British archaeology is dominated by the small town of Wall (Letocetum) at the junction of two major roads; Watling Street running from London to Wroxeter, and Ryknield Street running from the Fosse Way, through Birmingham, towards Derby and on to Yorkshire. Outside Wall, cemeteries comprising 42 cremation and up to 21 inhumation burials were recorded either side of Ryknield Street (Site 12). Cremation burial dominated during the 1st–2nd centuries AD, with inhumation burials from the late 2nd century onwards, though some rare 4th century cremation burials were also recovered. At nearby Shenstone, four settlement enclosures with features including a well-preserved kiln lay within a linear zone defined by parallel ditches (Site 15). Other Romano- British discoveries included a field system alongside Watling Street at Washbrook Lane (Site 5), a substantial aisled building south of Watling Street beside Crane Brook (Site 34), a complex of at least five enclosures replacing the Middle Iron Age settlement north of Langley Mill (Site 29), and a smaller enclosure, at Wishaw (Site 19). The M6 Toll also crossed Watling Street twice; from south to north at Hammerwich and from north to south at Churchbridge (Site 4), though the latter produced no positive trace of the Roman road. Medieval remains included ridge and furrow at Washbrook Lane (Site 5), a small 13th/14th century farmstead at Shenstone (Site 13), and an enclosure at Wishaw (Site 19). Of most significance were the Knights Templar fishpond complex east of Grove Lane (Site 20) and the settlement at Hawkeswell Farm (Site 24). The fishpond complex probably originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, on land probably granted as a gift from local major landholders. At Hawkeswell Farm, just north of the documented hamlet at Hawkeswell, poorly defined settlement from the 13th century onwards was indicated. Later medieval garden features and landscaping suggest the area became part of the formal gardens for a precursor to the current Hawkeswell Hall. South of Cannock free-standing structures of the 18th–19th century canal and rail network were recorded: the northern dam for Hatherton Reservoir (Site 2), the Churchbridge Railway and Accommodation bridges (Site 3), and long-since buried components such as Hawkins Canal Basin (Site 1). This was built in 1883 and was connected to the Hatherton Branch of the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal via an aqueduct crossing Wyrley Brook. Gilpin’s Basin, built at Churchbridge in 1860 to allow direct transfer of materials between canal and rail, was also investigated, revealing the base of a quayside crane and footings of a large goods shed. A trench through the adjacent A5 Trunk Road (Site 4) revealed what may have been Telford’s late 18th century improvements to what was then Watling Street turnpike (also seen at Site 41). The north side of the Hatherton Branch canal tunnel was revealed beneath the A5. Other post-medieval sites included a survey of Swan Farm at Norton Canes (Site 36), sections through the Cannock Extension (1858) and Wyrley and Essington Canals (1794) (Sites 6 and 8), the footings of a 19th century tramway between Lichfield Road and Barracks Lane (Site 34), and Curdworth top lock and lockkeeper’s cottage at Dunton Wharf (Site 21). Infilled post-medieval ponds and other landscape features were recorded at Hawkeswell Farm (Site 24).