A 'very significant' Roman settlement, including a jewellery workshop dating back nearly 2,000 years, has been discovered beneath a new housing estate in Mancot, Flintshire, in what Heneb called one of the biggest Roman artefact collections in the county.
The find was made by Heneb, the trust for Welsh archaeology, during mining surveys for the development on Gladstone Way. Homes have now been built over the excavation site, but dozens of items including pottery, coins, brooches and moulds were removed and the area mapped, showing the settlement extended underneath the village of Mancot, between Hawarden and Queensferry.
Project manager Chris Matthews said the discovery was 'very exciting' and changed what was understood about the history of the area. He noted that despite the settlement's position overlooking the important Roman city of Chester, very little associated archaeology had been found in north-east Wales until recently, leading to debate among archaeologists and historians about whether it reflected a 'poor relationship' between the Romans and the native population. Finds such as this one and others in Greenfield and Rossett, Wrexham, were making them realise it 'probably wasn't the case'.
The site 'possibly' originated in the Iron Age before the Romans arrived and 'continued to have successive occupation for a very long period of time,' Matthews said. The idea was strengthened by two coins found there: one from the reign of emperor Commodus (AD 177–192) and another depicting Constantine (who reigned about 200 years later).
The jewellery workshop produced a 'wide range' of brooches, functional clothing fasteners often highly decorative and depicting animals. Lead moulds found at the site suggest the workshop made use of rich local metal resources and produced 'important commodities for Roman society,' according to Matthews. Pottery fragments were evidence of trading as far away as mainland Europe.
A number of brooches and moulds have undergone conservation and will be further analysed at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff before going on display in north-east Wales. Sophie Fish, museums manager at Gwella, which manages the council's libraries and leisure, said she hoped 'some of the most interesting finds' from Mancot could be displayed at Mold Museum in 2027. 'I am particularly excited by the wonderful Roman brooches that have recently been excavated at Mancot. They give us a unique insight into life almost 2,000 years ago,' she said.
Matthews called the find 'the very beginning of what could be a very long period of discoveries' in the area. 'It's a very good time to be an archaeologist in the north. It's very exciting.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Rewrites the historical understanding of Roman influence in north-east Wales, an area long considered archaeologically sparse.
- The jewellery workshop shows a local industrial capability serving the Roman city of Chester and trading with mainland Europe.
- Public display of these artefacts in Mold Museum from 2027 will offer residents and visitors direct access to Roman-era local history.
Background
The find was made by Heneb, the trust for Welsh archaeology, during surveys for a housing development in Mancot, Flintshire. The settlement overlooks Chester, a major Roman city, but until recently few Roman sites had been found in north-east Wales, leading to debate about the relationship between Romans and the local population.
Key Perspectives
Chris Matthews, project manager at Heneb: Called the discovery 'very exciting' and said it 'probably' indicates the Romans had a better relationship with local people than long thought. He described the site as 'the very beginning of what could be a very long period of discoveries'.
Sophie Fish, museums manager at Gwella: Said she hoped the brooches could go on display at Mold Museum in 2027, describing them as giving 'a unique insight into life almost 2,000 years ago'.
What to Watch
- Analysis of the brooches and moulds at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, expected to reveal how they were made, the types of metals used and their origins.
- The scheduled return of the finds to Flintshire Museums Service and the planned display at Mold Museum in 2027.
- Further Roman discoveries from north-east Wales that may be brought together under a long-term plan to unify the region's Roman finds.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedA Roman settlement with a jewellery workshop was found beneath a Welsh housing estate.BBC Wales: “A "very significant" Roman settlement, including a jewellery workshop dating back nearly 2,000 years, has been found under a new-build housing estate.”
- SupportedThe Mancot site dates back nearly 2,000 years, and Heneb called its artefact collection one of the county’s biggest.BBC Wales: “Heneb - the trust for Welsh archaeology - made the "unexpected" discovery in Mancot, Flintshire, amid mining surveys being carried out for the development and called it "one of the biggest" Roman artefact collections in the county.”
- SupportedHeneb found a very significant Roman settlement, including a jewellery workshop dating back nearly 2,000 years, in Mancot, Flintshire.BBC Wales: “A "very significant" Roman settlement, including a jewellery workshop dating back nearly 2,000 years, has been found under a new-build housing estate.”
- SupportedHeneb made the discovery during mining surveys for the development on Gladstone Way.BBC Wales: “Heneb - the trust for Welsh archaeology - made the "unexpected" discovery in Mancot, Flintshire, amid mining surveys being carried out for the development”
- SupportedHomes were built over the excavation site after dozens of items, including pottery, coins and jewellery, were removed; the area was mapped and showed the settlement extended beneath Mancot.BBC Wales: “Homes have now been built over the excavation site on Gladstone Way, but not before dozens of items including pottery, coins and the jewellery were removed. The area was also mapped and showed the settlement extended underneath the village of Mancot”
- SupportedChris Matthews said the discovery was “very exciting” and changed what was understood about the area’s history.BBC Wales: “Project manager Chris Matthews, said the find was "very exciting" and it changed what was understood about the history of the area.”
- SupportedMatthews said little associated archaeology had been found in north-east Wales until recently, prompting debate about whether Romans had a “poor relationship” with the native population; finds in Mancot, Greenfield and Rossett were making archaeologists and historians think that “probably wasn't the case”.BBC Wales: “He said it meant that archaeologists and historians in the area had long debated whether it reflected a "poor relationship" between the Romans and the native population of the time. But finds such as this one and others in Greenfield and Rossett, Wrexham, were making them realise it "probably wasn't the case".”
- SupportedMatthews said the site possibly began in the Iron Age and had successive occupation for a very long time; two coins supported that idea, one from Commodus’s reign (AD 177–192) and another depicting Constantine, who reigned about 200 years later.BBC Wales: “Mathews said the Mancot site "possibly" originated in the Iron Age period, before the arrival of the Romans, and "continued to have successive occupation for a very long period of time". This idea was strengthened by two coins found there - one from the reign of the emperor Commodus, who was in power from AD 177 to 192, and another depicting Constantine, who reigned about 200 years later.”
- SupportedThe workshop used rich local metal resources and produced important commodities for Roman society; lead moulds showed it produced a wide range of brooches.BBC Wales: “Evidence of the jewellery workshop discovered in Heneb's excavations showed there was "industry" making use of the rich metal resources in the area, and producing "important commodities for Roman society," he added. The discovery of the lead moulds shows they were producing a "wide range" of brooches”
- SupportedPottery fragments found at the site were evidence of trade as far away as mainland Europe.BBC Wales: “there is also evidence on the site through pottery fragments recovered that trading was being as far away as mainland Europe.”
- SupportedSome brooches and moulds have been conserved and will be further analysed at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff before going on display in north-east Wales.BBC Wales: “A number of brooches and moulds have undergone conservation and will be further analysed at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff before going on display in north-east Wales.”
- SupportedSophie Fish said she hoped some of the most interesting Mancot finds could be displayed at Mold Museum in 2027, and said the brooches offered a unique insight into life almost 2,000 years ago.BBC Wales: “Sophie Fish, museums manager at Gwella, which manages the councils libraries and leisure, said she hoped "some of the most interesting finds" from Mancot could go on display at Mold Museum in 2027. She added: "I am particularly excited by the wonderful Roman brooches that have recently been excavated at Mancot. "They give us a unique insight into life almost 2,000 years ago."”
