NOTICES

 

The highly successful Tollgate Farm Exhibition at Uttoxeter Heritage Centre is continuing until at least the 1st of June. Admission is free.

 

A resistivity survey is planned at Pointhorne farm on Tuesday the 8th of May at 10 a.m. Society members wishing to take part meet at the farm or ring Dave for info on S.O.T 543151.

 

Photos below show scenes from the very interesting walk around Rocester on Saturday April 28th, guided by Rosemary Yates. The day was not only interesting in itself but it also helped to put the Tollgate Farm site into its wider context. Many thanks to Rosemary for a most enjoyable day out.

 

 

1st May, 2007

Relays on Roman Roads

 

On the Roman road network, there were official stopping places (relays) at approximately 5-mile intervals. Travellers using the roads had to stop at each of these relays. They carried a bronze passport, this was checked and their passage recorded.

 

Typical relays had staff including: a farrier, cartwrights, a veterinary surgeon, grooms for about 10 horses and about 30 mules and scribes (manceps or stationarius), who checked passports and kept the books.

 

There were important relays for overnight stays (mansio) at about 20- mile intervals. The more usual relays (mutatio) mayor may not have supported all the staff mentioned above, depending on the importance of their location on the road network. At different periods (times of trouble) troops manned the relays; a relay would then be called a statio.

 

It is clear from this that a relay would have had quite a large staff and required barns and meadows for horses and mules. This seems to match what we have discovered at Tollgate Farm well (certainly for its middle period of use between 120 and 250 A.D.).

 

Winston Hollins (after "Roman Roads", by Raymond Chevalier)

26th April, 2007

Tollgate Exhibition Starts 17th March 2007 at Uttoxeter Heritage Centre

 

On Saturday March 17th, members of Stoke-on-Trent Museum Archaeological Society will be available to answer questions and talk about the site. There will also be a small quiz for children.

 

The exhibition will run until 9th May. The Heritage Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

 

13th March, 2007

The Tollgate Disc Brooch Post-Conservation

 

The photo shows the disc brooch following conservation by Barbara Clayton. Fortunately some of the enamel has been preserved.

 

The brooch was found in September 2006 by Dave Thomas.

 

 

4th February, 2007

Visitors at Tollgate

 

On Sunday 8th October we had a number of visitors at Tollgate Farm. On the photograph are the Uttoxeter Young Archaeologists, who enjoyed a lively and inspiring tour of the site and display of some of the finds.

 

 

13th October, 2006

Visit to Shrewsbury and Wroxeter

 

On Saturday 23rd September a good turn out from the Society visited the Rowley’s House Museum in Shrewsbury to see their intaglio collection, as we had been told by Martin Henig that they had one very similar to the one found at Tollgate last year. Ms Cameron Moffett from the Museum staff very kindly came along to open the case for us and allow us to handle the exhibits and photograph them. We all found the visit very helpful and it was interesting to see other finds from the Wroxeter site. We were also pleased to join the protesters in front of the museum who were being photographed by the press! (This present building is due to close as a museum and the town will be without its new site for up to four years.)

 

We had lunch in the sunshine at the Wroxeter site where we viewed the considerable remains before going our separate ways to enjoy further the delights of English Heritage sites of Shropshire as highlighted by Bill Klemperer in his talk on the previous Friday evening. A very enjoyable day, thanks to Dave Thomas who organized it.

 

 

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