Wigan Archeological Society Project

The purpose of the archaeological project that covers the area around St William’s Primary School in Higher Ince, is to uncover the remains of the Roman Road (‘Road’) that was constructed and probably extensively used between Manchester and Wigan in the first few centuries A.D.

The Reverend Edmund Sibson of Ashton-in-Makerfield researched and surveyed the Road in the early 19 th Century and described the appearance and direction of the route with reference to nearby landmarks. Subsequently, the supposed route was shown on the 1849 Ordnance Survey Map, 1st Edition, as two lines running across Amberswood Common close to the Ince-Hindley boundary. Another historian W. Thompson Watkin verified Sibson’s work later in the 1800’s.

However, the precise locations and alignments of the Road needs to be confirmed by direct archaeological evidence to modern standards, so that the Road can be placed on both historical and present-day maps. This would support Sibson’s theory that Wigan is the Roman settlement of Coccium, other antiquarians have postulated places such as Blackrod, Standish and Edgeworth, due to an ambiguity in the supposed Roman distances to the Forts at Manchester and Ribchester.

Proving the Road route is important in establishing that it proceeded from Manchester to Wigan, then taking into consideration the Road from Wilderspool entering the town from the south and the northerly Road leaving towards Preston, it could then be stated beyond reasonable doubt that Wigan was a strategic station at the confluence of at least three Roads in the Roman North West.

Finds made during the last two centuries that are supportive of intensive Roman occupation, have recently been strengthened by the remnants of a Roman bath house structure found in Millgate.

In comparison with the quantity and quality of artefacts recovered from the other historically- postulated places for the settlement, the case for Wigan being Coccium is virtually insurmountable. The addition of archaeology from the route of the Manchester to Wigan Road, particularly as it approaches the town centre, may further enhance our knowledge of how, when and where the Romans occupied the location and the extent of their activities. This may consequently benefit the understanding of the significance of Roman Wigan, as both a military and commercial base.

On the presumption that most Roman Roads follow a direct route from their origin to destinations, it was logical to project the supposed route, as shown on the 1849 OS Map, from Amberswood Common, towards Wigan. Sibson’s narrative stated that the line of the Road was ‘very visible’ at the north end of the Common, this area now comprises Walmesley Park in Higher Ince. Therefore, during the Summer of 2003, an excavation was undertaken in the Park as part of the Channel 4, ‘Time Team’ TV programme. The results of the dig seemed to be indicative of a Roman Road, without possessing all the classical features that you would expect to find. We hope to re-visit the site in the very near future to search for more compelling archaeological evidence.

Further along the supposed route, the alignment of the Road appeared to intersect St William’s Primary School field, which lies just off Ince Green Lane. After desk-top studies, a resistivity survey was conducted and the result seemed to indicate the presence of the Road in the field. The funding to continue the project was generously provided by the Heritage Trust and it was envisaged that the wider community could benefit from the archaeological investigation through the involvement of local schools and community groups. Also, there was a conservation element in the scheme, such that, if the Road was found in the location, it would be preserved and the site would be deemed of historical interest, with the route of the Road being appropriately identified.

Excavations commenced in earnest during January 2008, when a series of test pits were excavated parallel to the original Primary School boundary wall, with the intention of appraising the features visible on the resistivity survey, the archaeology indicated industrial activities were the origin, rather than much earlier intervention.

An area was prepared for the pupils of local schools to explore, with Society members providing assistance with such techniques as;- digging, identification and washing of finds, to groups of children from St William’s Primary, Ince C. E. Junior and Pembec High School. Some pieces of 17th century pottery were soon found by the pupils, who thoroughly enjoyed the extracurricular activities. Unfortunately, inclement weather intervened and several schools were denied the opportunity to dig, however they will be accommodated later in the project. Members of the public also visited the site during the dig and the event was reported in the ‘Wigan Evening Post’ later that week.

Undaunted, further work in line with the objectives given in the project proposal are planned for Ince C. E. Junior School field, where a resistivity survey last December, conducted with the kind help of pupils, revealed a 2-3 metre wide ditch which may be of medieval, or earlier, origin, perhaps a Roman hollow way cut into a nearby mound?

Excavations proceeded during February and March heading northwards into St William’s church Presbytery garden, where a suspected 16 th century drain was found. This is currently undergoing appraisal and work is continuing in this location to uncover the extent of the feature and determine the intended function and whether it was connected to some local industry, or purely for domestic purposes. (Figs.1 and 2).

There is a curious flow of field boundaries apparent on the 1849 Map (Fig. 3), which appear to curve around the low-lying terrain of the former Ince Moss, starting near to Common Nook, adjacent to Walmesley Park in Higher Ince, and then converging onto Sibson’s original alignment of the Road, shortly after the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Since no indications of the Road have been found on the anticipated alignment and at expected depths, the hypothesis is that the Romans saved considerable time and effort and skirted the edge of the waterlogged area. This seems plausible, as it follows their traditional methods of road surveying by sighting to the high ground, prior to Road construction. Consequently, the George Street area and Ince C.E. School field were both pro-actively incorporated into the original project plan to enable sufficient scope to explore this eventuality. To date, two test pits recently excavated within he cobbled section of George Street have shown no obvious signs of Road materials in the usual arrangement and it may be that intense mining activities, known to have been present nearby during the 19 th century, have completely eliminated all traces of the Road? Work is proceeding and the project should be completed before the end of April 2008.

The Conservation approach in this particular scheme is to construct a modern-day representation of the Road, if and when it is found, by employing the unused cobbles from former urban streets. There is a great opportunity to construct a substantial amount of a Roman Road, without detrimentally impacting upon either domestic or commercial properties. It may be eminently possible in the future to build an unbroken stretch of Road as more land becomes available. It is envisaged the route would be known as ‘Coccium Way’ and this would be a very useful way of sharing, with the people of Wigan borough, the Roman heritage that has been bestowed upon the town.

Image: Clay-lined drain feature found in St William’s Presbytery Garden. (Bricks shown were capped by stone slabs and may be of c.1500’s origin).
Clay-lined drain feature found in St William’s Presbytery Garden. (Bricks shown were capped by stone slabs and may be of c.1500’s origin).

Image: View showing part of the capped and un-capped suspected drain.
View showing part of the capped and un-capped suspected drain.

Image: Projection of Roman Road as seen on 1849 OS Map extract with 1908 overlay.
Projection of Roman Road as seen on 1849 OS Map extract with 1908 overlay.