Assessing The Research Potential of Grey Literature in the study of Roman England

Since the adoption of Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 (Archaeology and Planning) in 1990, around 90% of all archaeological work in England has been prompted by the planning process. The product of this work is the ubiquitous typescript report, commonly referred to as the "grey literature" of archaeology. This term reflects the fact that whilst developer-funded typescript reports are well-used through the planning process, the results of this work are predominantly unpublished and commonly not known to the wider archaeological community. This is largely due to the vast size of the resource, and the difficulties in accessing it (although this is being addressed in many ways, such as the online OASIS forum). The need to make the results of this work readily available to both local communities and those with a more specialized interest in the past is recognized as a priority by English Heritage. The Roman Grey Literature Project was developed between Cotswold Archaeology and Reading University as a way to assess the research potential for the Roman period which may currently be hidden within the grey literature. It follows a separate piece of research recently carried out by Richard Bradley of Reading University which highlighted the strong research potential within the grey literature for the prehistoric period.