Monument record 5108/0/4 - Iron Age settlement, Moulton Park

Iron Age settlement (site) 1st century BC to 1st century AD excavated ahead of development in the early 1970s.

{5} Excavation in 1971-2 revealed two Iron Age enclosures. First was sub-circular with one enclosing ditch; there were two penannular hut gullies within; the round houses were probably 5m & 10m in diameter. Pottery recovered was of the pre-Belgic Iron Age and Belgic; the site was occupied in the late C1st BC & early C1st AD; grid ref SP777564.
The second enclosure lay to the north and was rectilinear in plan. A causeway across the western arm of the enclosure was 4.50m wide. It was constructed of a series of layers of ironstone mixed with limestone. Both faces were revetted with herringbone masonry. There were several possible house sites within the enclosure, as well as gullies and apparent groups of postholes. It is possible that this was a later phase of settlement, though the evidence was not conclusive.

One of the houses and adjacent gullies in the sub-circular enclosure contained pottery from the late pre-Belgic Iron Age, whilst the remainder of the pottery was of a Belgic date.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.317/Site 1 (checked) (Series). SNN77383.

<2> Brown, A E (ed), 1972, Northamptonshire Archaeology, p.6 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN25623.

<3> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1973, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1972, p.4 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN8956.

<4> Williams J.H., 1973, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (3), p.29 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN896.

<5> Williams J.H., 1974, Two Iron Age Sites in Northampton, (unchecked) (Monograph). SNN46651.

<6> Williams J.H.; Shaw M.; Hardy S., 1978-1984, Northampton Development Corporation SMR Secondary Record Sheets, P72 (checked) (Catalogue). SNN108.

<7> Department of Environment, 1973, DOE Archaeological Excavations 1972, p. 36 (Series). SNN105605.

Record last edited

Nov 22 2023 11:36AM