Question
I am studying A level archaeology and have to complete a piece of course-work on a local archaeological site that I can visit and research. I am trying to answer the question "what archaeological evidence is there to suggest that Wigan is the Roman town of Coccium?" Anything that you think would help would be most appreciated.
Answer
A good place to start is the Sites and Monuments Record for the area around Wigan (it is kept by the Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit -GMAU). You will see there are a more than average number of entries for the Roman period, particularly in the centre with coins and shards of pottery and even a Roman altar (embedded in the Parish Church window). These, however, are only 'chance' finds and do not prove that there was a settlement here, although the likelihood is very strong. The first certain evidence of Roman activity in Wigan, came from excavations carried out in the Wiend in the early 80's by the GMAU (a report on the findings can be found in their Annual Journal for 1984 - if you contact Norman Redhead - he should be able to send you a copy). More recently, spectacular remains of a Roman bathhouse was discovered last year in excavations in Millgate. The excavations were carried out in advance of development for the new Grand Arch shopping centre. The report for this has not been completed yet but you can get more details from our Newsletters No.82 and No.84.
All this, however, still does not prove the case for Wigan as Coccium. However, our society has examined the Roman Roads in the Wigan area, excavating both roads leading north towards Standish and east to towards Manchester (for further details visit our Projects page). The proof that these roads existed, confirms to us that a route existed between Manchester and Ribchester with Wigan in the middle, which conforms with the listing of Coccium in the Antonine Itinerary. (This 3rd century document says Coccium lay 17 (Roman) miles from Manchester and 20 miles from Ribchester.) When consider together with all the other evidence, there can be little doubt that Wigan was indeed the Roman town Coccium.