The Use of Coal in Roman Britain

Most commentators have acknowledged a significant role for coal in Roman Britain (e.g. Collingwood 1937, 37; Collingwood and Myres 1937, 231-2; Richmond 1955, 125-6 and particularly Frere 1987, 288). Forty years ago Graham Webster reviewed the archaeological evidence for its use, and his account (Webster 1955) superseded earlier national and regional accounts (e.g. Cunnington 1932, 173; cf. Webster 1955, 199 n. 2). Since 1955, however, a considerable expansion in both excavation and publication, coupled with developments in recovery, recording and identification procedures, has resulted in a commensurate increase in the quantity and quality of the available evidence, which makes a detailed re-assessment of coal's significance overdue.