Monument record 5409/1 - Probable Romano-British Villa, Lower Aynho Grounds

Construction of the M40 motorway cut through cobbled areas, foundations and ditches of a Roman villa.

{1} Scatter of pottery mainly focused on area of dense and scattered stone area. Much more sparse scatter noted on surrounding area, but only stone scatter sketch-mapped. Artefacts not collected.

{2} SP60653195, Site originally identified by Oxford Archaeology Unit and reported to NAU. Site visit made 25/03/1988. Concentrations of Romano-British finds, especially a stone scatter which lies immediately adjacent to the proposed road route and on a slightly raised area. A smaller concentration of stone lies further south, again on the edge of the road corridor. A lesser density scatter with a scatter of much smaller stone extends well into the road corridor.

{3} The new carriageway skirted a Roman site. Many ditches were exposed and one example contained early Anglo-Saxon pottery from at least 14 vessels in its upper fill.

{4} In the area excavated the Anglo-Saxon pottery had probably derived from a silt layer in the top of a Roman ditch. About 70 sherds of pottery of 5th-6th century date, as well as animal bones and charcoal were found in this layer. There was no Roman pottery in the layers immediately below the upper site of the ditch and very little in the general area. It is therefore possible that this part of the site is of sub-Roman date, although equally the Anglo-Saxon pottery could have been associated with subsequent post-Roman activity.

{5} The pottery can be dated to the 5th and early 6th century. The small number of vessels represented and their reconstructability indicates that the occupation was of a small scale and probably for only a short duration. [More detail].

{6} M40 extension. Ditches were exposed including one example containing a quantity of Anglo-Saxon pottery in its upper filling. Sherds of 14 separate vessels, which can be attributed to the late 5th or 6th centuries, came from the ditch or adjacent area.

{7} The new carriageway skirted a Roman site on low lying ground by a stream against the county's border with Oxfordshire. Related ditches were exposed and included one example containing a quantity of early Anglo-Saxon pottery in its upper infilling. With similar pottery from a nearby deposit, the sherds represent at least 14 separate vessels which can be attributed to a short phase during the period from the mid-fifth to early sixth centuries.

{8} Roman building found-a scatter of stone rubble extended for some 8 metres. The only structural evidence consisted of a short length of flimsy walling cut away by a later ditch, and a surface of limestone rubble. The rubble surface was partially excavated but its original extent is uncertain.. No dating evidence was recovered from the surface itself or from ditches which both pre-dated and post-dated the feature.
At least four ditches lay beneath the sealed surface to the north of the brook, whilst others were revealed both sides of the carriageway, up to 100m to the north. It is uncertain if these ditches to the north relate to the Roman site. The sealed surface layer to the north of the brook contained a mixed assemblage of Roman pottery. A few Anglo-Saxon pottery were found above ditch lines. The Anglo-Saxon pottery lay at the top of the latest of a series of re-cuts or re-alignments. There was an almost complete absence of Roman pottery, both in the ditch fills and in the area in general. It seems possible therefore that some of the features date to a sub-Roman period, perhaps in the 5th century AD.

{9} At Aynho the route passed immediately west of a low walled rectangular platform where rubble spreads clearly outlined internal buildings after ploughing in 1986. Photographs were taken by the author. A rubble wall footing and rough cobbling later cut by a ditch was also revealed. Three coins dated to AD 320-350, metal objects and C1st-C4th pottery were recovered during a brief excavation by NCC Archaeology Unit. Several ditches appear to represent enclosures or paddocks to the west of the villa.
It was not possible to walk the field containing the Roman villa at Lower Aynho Ground Farm in 1985 as it was under crop. The site appears to have been occupied throughout the Roman period, and early Saxon pottery was recovered from the top of one of the adjacent late Roman ditches.

{13} NH 7: Listed as the site of a Roman villa.

<1> FOARD G.R., 1988, Annotated Plans, (checked) (Note). SNN46800.

<2> Foard G.F., 1988, M40: Archaeological Work (Various), (checked) (Correspondence). SNN107301.

<3> Jackson, D., 1988, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49677.

<4> Jackson, D., 1988, Aynho: Roman and Anglo-Saxon Activity, 1988: Summary, (checked) (Note). SNN57488.

<5> Pearson, T., 1988, Anglo-Saxon Pottery from the Roman Site at Aynho (SP505318), (unchecked) (Report). SNN57489.

<6> Musgrave E.C.; Tingle M. (editors), 1991, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1990, 23/109 (checked) (Article). SNN100325.

<7> Pike, A (ed), 1989, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (19), 19/29 (checked) (Journal). SNN100659.

<8> JACKSON D.A., A Watching Brief on The M40 Motorway, (unchecked) (Interim Report). SNN43954.

<9> CHAMBERS R.A., 1992, The Archaeology of The M40 Through Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, 1988-91, p.46, 49, 51 (checked) (Article). SNN74151.

<10> Gaimster D.R.M.; Margeson S.; Barry T.;, 1989, Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1988, 33/203 (checked) (Note). SNN653.

<11> 1989, Britannia (20), 20/290 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN70869.

<12> Dix B., 1992, Recent Work in Northamptonshire Archaeology, 24/118 (checked) (Article). SNN104441.

<13> Scott, E., 1993, A gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain, p. 140, NH 7 (Monograph). SNN110345.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 7:08PM