Monument record 1780/0/1 - Hillfort Defences; Prehistoric Enclosure Ditch (Morphed Aerial Archaeology Interpretation)

Crop/soilmark: Good quality photography

{1} The defensive earthworks were originally mistaken for the medieval ridge and furrow which cuts them.

{2} Iron Age and Roman settlement identified from surface scatters; the 'traces of ploughed-out ramparts' reported are merely the high terminations of medieval ridge and furrow, now ploughed down, around two sides of the spur.

{3} The contour survey suggests that the corner of the hillfort closest to the junction of the main valley with the slade was probably more rounded than the uncertain cropmark evidence would indicate. From the contour survey it is possible to identify the slight earthworks of the north-west and south-west sides of the hillfort defences; there is an approximately 25m wide zone in which the ditch and rampart have been spread by medieval and later ploughing, with rises no more than 1m from the centre of the ditch to the rampart crest. No other earthworks were identified from within the hillfort, although an accumulation of soil upslope from the present hedgeline on the south-east side may have buried remains of the defences.

{4} Cropmarks of an Iron Age hillfort. The defensive ditch is 8-14m wide and forms a rectangular enclosure with rounded corners, 3ha in area. The ditch is less clear to the north and east where it cuts clay. A narrow boundary ditch lies to the south-west corner of the enclosure. An entrance of the south-west corner of the enclosure ditch curves outwards to provide a 4m wide opening. Other short lengths of ditch here are probably to control this entrance. A palisade trench is also visible along much of the inner edge of the ditch.
Earthworks of a large univallate hillfort, the rampart of which has been totally levelled, and the ditch almost totally. The large rectangular enclosure is much reduced by ploughing. It was first identified by D.N.Hall in 1972. Survey has shown that a single ditch was excavated early-middle Iron Age. The inner rampart was probably formed from the upcast. It was refurbished in the C1st AD with a palisade and possible ditch re-cut. The hillfort was slighted by the Romans but continued in use and its defences were possibly rebuilt in the early middle Saxon period. The settlement was deserted by the late Saxon period.
Geophysical survey was carried out as part of the Raunds Area Survey, by S.Parry. The magnetometer compliments the cropmark evidence. It confirms the continuation of the ditch at the north-east corner of the hillfort on the clay area. An area of few negative background anomolies suggests the presence of a rubble base to the ramparts.
Trial excavation of 1986 by S.Parry. The Iron Age hillfort defences were sectioned, revealing a 17m wide main ditch which was at least 3.3m deep and had re-cuts. Generally dated to the early to middle Iron Age. Later cuts also contained early middle saxon pottery. Three irregular cut gullies were dated to the late Saxon. Stone rubble probably related to the rampart which was approximately 3.4m wide and from which early-middle Iron Age pottery was recovered. Earlier activity was indicated by buried burnt material. Two postholes to the rear of the rampart and a further three between the bank and ditch may have been part of the rampart structure. A V-shaped palisade trench 1.6m deep was later inserted.

{5} NCCAP:SP9571/001-37.

{7} An impressive site in a fortified position overlooking the Nene Valley and protected by very steep slopes on two sides. There are traces of ploughed out ramparts and abundant pottery sherds representing the Iron Age and Romano-British periods.

{8} Irthlingborough Site 5. The ploughed-out remains of a rectangular system of ramparts. A site in a fortified position with very steep slopes on two sides.

{9} A large rectangular earthwork enclosure, much reduced by ploughing, was first identified by D.N.Hall. Although Iron Age to Saxon pottery was also found the earthworks were subsequently dismissed as merely the "high terminations of medieval ridge and furrow".
In 1986 aerial photography identified a settlement of about 3ha enclosed by a wide defensive ditch which corresponded to the known earthwork and suggested the presence of a hillfort.
Cropmark evidence shows a broad ditch around the perimeter of the hillfort. Its varying width from 8m to 14m was perhaps determined by the topography with the narrowest parts adjacent to the steepest slopes. The enclosed area is of rectangular form with rounded corners. The ditch is less clear to the north and east, perhaps due to the proximity of the scarp and the change in geology.
Magnetometer survey showed that a narrow ditch following the line of the defensive circuit is present outside the south-west corner of the hillfort. Its insubstantial nature suggests that it was intended as a boundary rather than for defence.
The only clear entrance across the ditch was located on the south-west side, adjacent to the southern corner. It was formed by the ditch curving outwards to give a slightly off-set appearance, thereby providing an opening c.4m wide. Immediately outside the entrance two short lengths of ditch were presumably intended to prevent a direct approach. A further narrow ditch appeared to block the entrance, although it is not known whether it was contemporary. Two narrow ditches extended imwards from the main ditch at either side of the entrance to form a funnel-shaped area which may have provided a further measure of defence.
A narrow ditch or palisade trench could be discerned along much of the inner edge of the main ditch (magnetometer survey confirmed its continuation at the north-east corner). A band of more advanced crop development about 10-15m wide along the inner edge of the ditch coincided with a general absence of features detected b y magnetometer and might suggest the presence of a rampart.A single trench some 46m long x 1.6m wide was cut across the defences on the southern side of the hillfort in September 1986. The main ditch was found to be about 17m wide and made up of a number of shifting re-cuts. The depths of the individual ditches was such as to prevent their complete excavation, but their respective sides were very steep, with slopes of between 60 and 80 degrees from horizontal. The ditches exceeded the depth of 3.3m to which they were investigated. A V-shaped trench along the inside of the main ditch matched the position of the palisade trench observed on aerial photographs. It was 1.6m deep and had a flat base c.0.14m wide.
The original defences appeared to be early to middle Iron Age in date and comprised a single deeply cut ditch, the upcast used to create a rampart, perhaps strengthened with posts. This enclosed an area c.3ha which was maintained by successive refurbishment. Silting of the ditch necessitated several re-excavations throughout the Iron Age period. The next recogniseable change was the building of a probable palisade in the C1st AD, which may have refaced the earlier rampart. The ditch may also have been widened at this time. Destruction of the palisade in the late C1st AD might indicate abandonment of the defences at this time, though continued Roman occupation is evidenced by the pottery scatters along with the excavation of a Roman roundhouse beyond the defences. During the early middle Saxon period the original defences appear to have been re-cut at least three times, though never as substantially as earlier cuts.

<1> FOARD G.R., 1986, Oral Report to SMR, (checked) (Oral Report). SNN52928.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.57 Site 7 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<3> 1995, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49406.

<4> Parry S., 1993, Raunds Area Survey Report, p.1+6-11 (checked) (Draft). SNN1175.

<5> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Photographs). SNN104822.

<6> Parry, S., 1994, Archaeological Evaluation at Marsh Lane, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, October 1994, p.13-14 (checked) (Report). SNN70548.

<7> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1972, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1971, p.4 (checked) (Journal). SNN59984.

<8> HALL D.N.; HUTCHINGS J.B., 1972, The Distribution of Archaeological Sites Between The Nene and The Ouse Valleys, p.14 (checked) (Article). SNN35780.

<9> Parry S. et al, 2006, Raunds Area Survey: An Archaeological Study of The Landscape of Raunds, Northamptonshire 1985-94, p.139-45 (checked) (Book). SNN105780.

Record last edited

Oct 6 2014 12:24PM