From Michael Green.
FURTHER to the recent article regarding the evidence of Roman occupation found beneath the foundations of Grouville Church (JEP, 14 January), I am surprised that the hill on which Mont Orgueil Castle now stands is missing from the Roman sites known to exist in Jersey.

It is well known that evidence of a Neolithic hill fort exists at the castle, and as the recent find at Grouville Church clearly indicates, the Romans there were in viewing distance of the hill. Therefore it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Romans also occupied that site.

This is borne out by the number of Roman coins unearthed at the castle during early-20th-century excavations which can be seen listed and photographed in Major Rybot’s publication entitled Gorey Castle.

Furthermore, some early historians claim that the main castle well was excavated by the Romans, although this has yet to be substantiated.

During the summers of 1992 and 1993 the Public Services department of the time commissioned a local team of divers to carry out two dives into the watery depths of the well. During those dives, which were achieved under extreme conditions, several hundredweight of coin was recovered and dated to the early Victorian era.
However, at the time divers estimate that here may be as much as a metre in depth of coin still waiting to be recovered.

Unfortunately, similar underwater investigations have not been carried out since 1993. Clearly the way to discover whether the well is Roman would be to carry out a full-scale excavation of all that remains at the bottom of the well, which may reveal some fascinating objects.

The fact that the site was occupied during the Neolithic period suggests the need for those ancient occupiers to have a supply of fresh water nearby. Could the origins of the main castle well be the source of that supply?