'Feeding the Fort' :

Romano-British Settlement in South East Anglesey

Matt Jones
Summary
This paper will give an over view of the evidence for a strongly Romanised community
within the area of Anglesey opposite Caernarvon in North Wales. The study area is bonded by
the Menai straits to the east and the south and by the west and north west by the Afon Braint .
This paper will be relying mainly on Antiquarian sources with reference to the few modern
documentary and excavation records. The evidence from this area appears to show an area
with a long settlement history, with long lived native large/ high statues Iron age sites with
strong indication for the adoption of Roman material culture and building styles.
Introduction
The recent discovery and excavation of the Romanised village settlement at Tai-Cochion on
Anglesey by Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, inspired this paper. The excavation has started
to revel strong evidence of a native community that was responding to the Roman presence
and building a community which represented a Romanised style of settlement (Pers com
Hopewell). This Romanised settlement appears to have been developed out of a reaction to
the presence of the Roman axillary fort of Segontium on the west coast of the main land. It is
the purpose of this paper to study the landscape surrounding the area of Tai-Cochion to give a
social and historical context to of the Romano- British landscape in the surrounding area.
Roman Settlement
The development of Romanised native settlement is not a new phenomenon recent
geophysical work from the Roman environs Project showed vici settlement associated with
most of the short and long lived forts within north Wales (Hopewell D, 2005,225-69).
Excavations carried out within the developed areas surrounding Segontium have produced
strong evidence that the fort supported a two vici at its north and south gates (Casey P J &
Davies J L,1993). The foundation of these urban environments have often been explained
through the presence of the Roman military settlement. Webster (Webster 1966, 32) put
forward the model that villages and settlements develop as service centres for the forts
garrison. This was built on by Hopkins and Drinkwater (Hopkins1980, Drinkwater1983),
they suggest that the arrival of a settled military presence was the foundation of a settled
community near the fort, this not only met the needs of the garrison but also develops as an
area for the gathering of taxes and resources to maintain the fort in a reciprocal manner.
Corney has also noted that the development of small Romanised native towns/villages in
Wiltshire has mainly be based on sites discovered along the Roman road systems (Corney M,
2001,5-). These urbanised developments served a number of functions and have been often
been termed as 'administrative' or market villages (Bedoyere G,2003,107).
These explanations of urban development both rely on the arrival of the Romans to stimulate
any form of economic activity or settlement Millett (Millett M,1984). This leaves out the
native initiative in reacting to the added stimulus of the arrival Roman army and integrating
the army demands into an exciting market economy. These pre-existing native economies and
trading areas which may have had a lose structure and then been fixed by the arrival of the
Roman military market, the Roman authority could then have nurtured these fixed points as
centres of administration and trade(Taylor J 2001,57).
Antiquarian Evidence
Archaeological records show that native settlement is represented by all types of the typical
Iron age settlement types within this area, this included enclosed settlements, single and large
hut groups. There is also a range of small finds,pottery, coins querns that have been recovered
through out the area, which could be indicative of an intensively settled and active area.
Enclosed Settlements
Caer Leb a rectangular doubled banked enclosure with a centralised circular building and a
possible rectangular structure of 'Roman' date( RCAHMW 1937,103-4). Excavations within
the central building carried out in 1866 (Williams W & Prichard H, 1866) produced Samian
ware, a bronze fibula brooch and a coin of Postumas issued from AD 260-269 (Reece
R,2002). Prichard return in 1870's to excavate the remaining portion of the central building,
he identified two sequeances within the building a lower clay layer which contained
decorated Samain ware and black pottery (Black burnish ware). Above this was laid a floor of
lime stone flags (Prichard H 1871) three small brass coins were lodged with the crevices
between these flags, a mix of pottery was also found on this floor layer.

At the south western end of the study area approximatively 500meters from the coast, lies the
site of Rhuddgaer a rectangular doubled bank enclosure. A large farm house was built on the
site in the post-medieval period, all excavation and finds are associated with improvements to
the farm. Williams (Williams W 1856, 326-328) notes the discovery of Roman material after
ground works within the enclosure, a number of coins, dating between AD138-337 (Griffiths
W.E 1951,5, William W,/1856, 326-329/1857, 218-219, Hughes H,1919) glass beads and
Samian pottery where recovered mixed in with animal bones and teeth this could indicate
some sort of midden within the enclosure. A second article by Williams (Williams W 1861,
37-41) states that forty years ago the landowner uncovered a cist containing bones in the
south west corner of the enclosure he also states that five quern’s, have been found in
association with the site. One of these quern's has a incised decoration similar to a quern
recovered from an excavation at Ty-Mawr on Holyhead and of a type very common to
Anglesey with some examples in Northern Ireland (Pers Com,Griffiths W.E 1951,Plate
5/Fig1). 550 meters to the south west of the Rhuddgaer enclosure work men cutting drains
uncovered the fragmented parts of an inscribed lead coffin, within the same area there where
quantities of burnt bone and pottery suggestive of cremations associated with the burial
(Williams W 1878, Pollock K 2006). The coffin was given a 4th century date(Hughes H 1925,
Williams W 1878). Toller study (Toller H 1977) of lead coffins has shows that burials of this
type in urban and rural environments are indicators of wealth in the rural context they are
often associated with villas and there dependent communities.
The only enclosure within this area to be excavated to modern standards is Bryn Eryr (4)a
single ditch and bank enclosure. The site was being heavily damaged by agricultural activity
and in 1985 and 1987 a large excavation of the site was carried out on the site (Longley, D.
1998,b). The excavations identified three distinct phases, spanning from middle Iron age
activity carrying through to the late 3rd to 4th century (Arnold C & Davies J, 2000). The site
has been well published (Longley, D. 1998, a & b) is there is no need to discuss the site in
any great detail here, the usefulness of the Bryn Eryr excavation is that it gives us a date
range for the occupation of an enclosed site within this area , it is interesting to note that late
3rd to 4th century date lies with in the date range of coin evidence retrieved from Rhuddgaer
and Caer Leb.

Lost Sites
Antiquarian records also point towards two sites that may fall into this grouping of high
status Romano-British sites within the study area.
Excavations carried at Menaifon farm in the process of land improvement (Williams W 1865)
uncovered two linear concentrations of stone(walls) five feet apart , between these
concentration there was laid a rough flag stone floor covered by a layer of 'wood ash'. All the
finds came from the interface between the floor and this ash layer, they included Samian
ware,'Upchurch ware' (this type of ware was being made in Kent between AD 70-to 3rd
century AD (Tyers P, 1999)), and 'several sherds of mortarie which was later dated to the 4th
century AD (Hughes H, 1925,406), a grooved mill stone and reaping hook where also
recovered from this layer. It is not clear if this site is a single building or two separate walls
with a paved area between them.
The second site recorded by Williams in 1862(Willaims W, 1863,278-280) at Maenhir in
Llangeinwen and is slight out of the area stated above, the wealth of Roman material
recovered from the site makes it worthy of note here. Drain cutting uncovered large quantities
of Roman roof tiles with makers marks,so many tile where uncovered that this excavation
was referred to as the 'Great tile Excavation' (Hughes H,1925, 407). The surrounding soils
contained 'fragments of wood ash and pottery' included Samian ware,'Upchurch ware' and a
fawn coloured glazed ware (Willaims W, 1863,278-279). Large loose stones where observed
and a rough stone floor was uncovered below the tiles and wood ash layers this could indicate
that a 'building' had collapsed on to a floor layer possibly after a fire.
A single cist uncovered in 1909 at Gelliniog Wen (Hughes H 1909,256-7) could indicate a
possible Roman period cemetery a number of human bones and an Iron sword where
recovered from the the cist which was built up against a rock outcrop and three stone slabs
lined the other portion of the cist . The sword was heavily corroded but has an estimated
length of 0.80m this could possible be a Mainz-Fulham type, a sword considered to have
been used after AD 43 (Bishop M,C & Coulston J,C, 1989) .
Discussion
This paper has focused on high status settlement types and it is clear from the archaeological
evidence that this area of Anglesey was highly populated. It has been demonstrated that at
least one of these settlements (Bryn Eryr (Longley, D. 1998) had been established within the
area long before the arrival of the Roman Army and this type of long lived sequence could be
postulated for other sites within the study area. Recent excavations at Ty-mawr on Holy head,
and Llandygai near Bangor on the mainland both showed native settlement existing into the
Roman period with limited use of Roman material (Kenny, J. 2008). The survival of these
high status sites shows that far from being an oppressed native community local groups
survived well into the Roman period and possibly survived at a similar social standing within
the new regime. The arrival of this new regime could have also given natives groups the
opportunity to raise their standing within a new social system.

The sites mentioned in the text could be seen as local groups responding to the changes
brought about by the Romans as many of the native social systems of exchange and power
play would have been dramatically altered by the arrival of mass produced goods associated
with the arrival of the Roman military administration and trading networks. The large
military presence and the no doubt death and capture of high ranking natives would have
lessen the strength of the tribal and group obligations. This could have freed many families to
integrate themselves into this 'new world'. It is likely that these groups where supplying
agricultural and possible specialist craft requirements (Hingley R 1990,75-80) for Segontuim
and its associated settlements. The foundation of the village style settlement at Tai-Cochion
developed in association with the local society's needs in a convenient location (Millett
M,1975,138) to take advantage of the crossing to point the to Segontuim.
The documentary evidence shows that far from being a military outpost of the province of
Britannia the native population of North-West Welsh coast where adapting to the new
political and social situations. The recent discovery of a 'winged villa' near Aberystwyth
(News,Current Arch,p10), points to the possibility of further discoveries. I hope that this
paper shows that through the worth of returning to early records, and in many respects it
shows that we could have 'under-imagined' the Roman landscape of many areas of Wales
(Willis S, 2007,163).

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank David Hopewell of Gwynedd Archaeological trust, for his time in
discussing this subject with me.
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