Uxacona

Uxacona was a Romano-British settlement near present-day Shifnal in Shropshire. It stood at the highest point of the Roman Watling Street, about 11 Roman miles from Wroxeter to the west and 11 miles from Penkridge to the east. The only written record of Uxacona comes from the 2nd-century Antonine Itinerary. The main settlement was a small enclosure crossed by Watling Street, surrounded by a single ditch measuring 3.20 metres by 1.80 metres. Evidence shows it was occupied from the early to mid-4th century. North of the settlement lay two enclosures. One large single-ditched enclosure may have been a military storage depot from the campaign of Quintus Veranius in AD 57. A smaller double-ditched enclosure nearby could have been a signal station from the later 1st century. The site is protected as a scheduled monument and appears on the Heritage at Risk register. The main threat to the site is damage from arable ploughing. The area is commonly called Redhill or Red Hill, though the name applies to several nearby locations. The site straddles the parishes of Shifnal, Donnington and Muxton, St George’s and Priorslee, and Sheriffhales. Ordnance Survey maps show Redhill both south-east and north-west of Uxacona, near a spot height of 186 metres. A trig point that once marked the summit of Red Hill has been moved to a nearby farm driveway. The Granville Heritage Trail identifies Redhill west of the A4640 road, while Redhill Primary Academy lies south of the A5 road.