ENN109317 - Rothwell North, 2019 (Excavation)

{1} A second phase of open area excavation, totalling c8.8ha, in advance of housing development revealed extensive middle-late Iron Age and Roman settlement remains. The middle-late Iron Age remains comprised a mix of enclosed and unenclosed settlement, which included c18 roundhouses. Most of the roundhouses were in the unenclosed part of the settlement to the south, but there was also a cluster within a circular enclosure defined by a very large ditch. This enclosure was located on the crest of a hill within a further sub-rectangular enclosure, itself defined by another substantial ditch. Various smaller enclosures and trackways were appended to the central sub-rectangular enclosure, forming a complex enclosure system. Other features included three inhumation burials. The settlement appears to have persisted through the late Iron Age, into the early Roman period, when its focus shifted to the north. The Roman settlement was characterised by further sub-rectangular enclosures, albeit generally smaller and defined by less substantial ditches than their Iron Age precursors. The settlement fell out of use some time in the 2nd or early 3rd century. {2} Five areas of archaeological investigation were undertaken between May 2019 and March 2021. Project code: RN3399