More information : [SE 4031 4838]. A number of late or post-Roman burials were found in 1928-30, in gravel quarrying, west of the church and south of St James' Street, Wetherby. [Area of discoveries and sites of individual finds shown on accompanying plans.] Two large ditches were found and a number of shallow ditches, pits and hearths with animal bones and 1st-4th century AD pottery. Four 4th century coins were found. The burials included several unaccompanied inhumations and five in stone cists, one covered with worn, re-used Roman roofing-slates. Clark describes the site as a midden area on the outskirts of a Roman settlement, extant 3rd/4th century, and probably earlier. The site was later (at the earliest in the 4th century) a cemetery. The surface soil was full of Medieval Potsherds, with none in the pits and ditches, and a Roman potsherd found in one grave probably fell into it when it was open. The re-used roofing slates indicate that Roman buildings in the neighbourhood were demolished before the graves were made. Other finds from the site include a double ended flint scraper and several flint-flakes. Roman fibulae, coins, pottery, (all untraced) and a ditch were found in the adjoining plot to the east when it was quarried "some years" before 1928. The finds from the 1928-30 site were apparently in the collections of
B W J Kent and W Mellor. The latter also had 17 coins of 2nd and 4th century date, found from 1901-28, in and about the town. Two others were in Mrs Wardman's possession and many more had been dispersed.(1)
Nothing further has been found since the 1928-30 discoveries. (2)
SE 4031 4838 Wetherby.
Small possible Roman town at Wetherby. (3)
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