Heronbridge Roman Site

Heronbridge Roman Site is the remains of a Roman settlement on both sides of Watling Street, about 2 kilometres south of Chester in Cheshire, England, with evidence of industrial activity in the late 1st and 2nd centuries [1]. The site was found by chance by a member of Chester Archaeological Society in 1929 [1]. Excavations took place in 1930–31 and found human remains with evidence of violent deaths [1]. Carbon-dating of two further skeletons, uncovered in 2004, is consistent with a date of death in the early 7th century [1]. The settlement was founded on the west bank of the River Dee in the late 1st century AD [1]. It became a significant settlement, with many established stone buildings and a quayside cut into the bedrock [1]. There are also indications of a river bridge in the area, and evidence of trade in coal (dated to about AD 200) has been found at the inland port [1]. After Roman occupation ended, around AD 350, the town decayed into ruin [1].