Monument record 9513 - Extensive area of Iron Age settlement (The Ecton Complex)

The 'Ecton Complex', Cropmarks and soilmarks show enclosures, linear ditches and ring ditches. Excavations revealed a Bronze Age barrow with primary and secondary cremations, the latter of which may be Iron Age. Several ditches with Roman pottery and a ring-headed pin may indicate the site of a Roman settlement.

{1} Ring ditch (SP 82276517) 30 m. in diam. visible on air photographs, lying within an irregular enclosure. Traces of a small inner ring are visible. It was excavated in 1970 after field-walking had revealed traces of cremation burials, but it seemed that modern ploughing had destroyed all trace of burials and only a few sherds of Bronze Age or early Iron Age pottery were recovered. Numerous Roman ditches, Roman pottery, a ring-headed pin and a flint fabricator were discovered. Ring ditch (SP 82366520) 30 m. in diam. Traces of cremations have been found SW of it. Enclosure and ring ditches (centred SP 824648). Air photographs show three incomplete rectangular enclosures associated with a number of pits with a linear ditch extending N. To the S and SW of the enclosures is a series of ring ditches which may be barrows or hut- circles.

{2} The 'Ecton Cropmarks', cropmark complexes identifed as an Iron Age Settlement and undated enclosure. The cropmarks form at least four different small settlement sites.

The Roman pottery is clearly concentrated in the NW corner of the study area with a much smaller grouping on a ridge to the SE. The edges of the scatter are defined at the E and S. A total of 1314 sherds collected may be due to the proximity of the pottery production centre.

{3} Part of this site was excavated during the development of the Anglian Water pipeline. The site seems to be larger and more than a single farmstead. Apart from the three or four rectilinear enclosures, the small sample which was excavated of a larger cropmark complex consists almost entirely of traces of circular and sub-circular hut-circles (up to 20) and related enclosures. This could be a small settlement at any one time consisting of a few houses and enclosures.

Since the enclosures share a common alignment and do not interfere with each other, they may have been contemporary, separate by earthen droveways.

The large number of ring gullies as seen in the air photographs implies a number of probable family units. The later sand quarrying has meant that the original size of the settlement is unknown.

Pottery from the site appears in general to date from the 4th to the 2nd century BC, and the possibility of it being continuous, or intermittent, from an earlier period cannot be ruled out. The remains of two large jars of late Bronze Age-early Iron Age type were recovered from the fill of one pit.

{5} A ploughed over barrow at SP 82346517 was excavated by D Jackson (MOW) in 1970. There were two primary centralised BA cremations and a secondary cremation burials in the barrow ditch consisting of a coarse pot (? BA/IA) and an IA cloak brooch. Above area now under corn stubble, fragmentary R B pottery and shell was picked up during perambulation but no surveyable features remain. The site of the barrow cannot be identified.

{9} (SP823649) Rings and enclosure on AP in 1981.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 49/site 8 (Series). SNN77380.

<2> Holmes M.; Meadows I., 1995, Archaeological assessment And Recording, Northampton South Trunk Main Phase 2, 1991-1993, Section 3.3 (Report). SNN100411.

<3> Atkins R, Parry S, Holmes M, and Meadows I., 2001, Excavation of Iron Age Settlements at Sywell Aerodrome (1996) and at Ecton (1992-3) Northamptonshire, p. 47-8 (Article). SNN103932.

<4> Meadows, I., 1992, SMR REPORT FORM- Anglian Water easement (Note). SNN48834.

<5> Colquhoun, FD, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, 07-SEP-70 (Notes). SNN111540.

<6> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Oral (R Moore 3.9.70) (Keeper Northampton Museum) (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<7> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1971, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1970, Page 2,9 (Journal). SNN100525.

<8> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1974, Archaeology In Northamptonshire 1973, Page 43 (Article). SNN9109.

<9> 1982, Aerial Photography in Northamptonshire 1981, p. 108 (Journal). SNN104561.

Record last edited

Jul 9 2024 1:19PM