Monument record 5000/1 - Early Romano-British Pottery Manufacturing Site, Camp Hill

Three mid 1st century AD pottery kilns and another possible late 1st-2nd century AD kiln or oven were found during housing development in 1978. Further evidence of settlement included walls, pits and ditches over an area of c 2hectares. [Part of the Hunsbury Hill Complex]

{1} A total of 38 non-kiln features were recorded. These could not generally be seen on the surface but only in the sections of modern trenches and cuttings. It was, of course, difficult to assign a definite function to each feature in such circumstances. A broad division could, however, be made into three groups: walls/ robbed walls (16), pits/ditches (17) and unidentifiable features (5). Only one limestone wall could be traced on the fround but large numbers of trenches with limestone rubble in their fill were seen and these would appear to be robbed walls or foundation trenches of buildings covering some considerable area. The pits/ ditches showed no definite characteristics, though some at least of the pits appeared to be for domestic rubbish. The pottery associated with the features was mixed, comprising both mid 1st century material and also late 1st to 2nd century sherds. Whilst some features may well be associated with the early kilns it is improbable that the structures represented by the extensive 'robber' trenches were earlier than the late 1st century.

{2} Roman Settlement and Kilns (SP 73555884), found by the NDC Archaeological Unit and excavated during housing development in 1978-9, lay 400 m. N.N.W. of Hunsbury hill fort on Northampton Sands at 100 m. above OD. Three mid 1st-century pottery kilns were recovered as well as another possible kiln or oven of the late 1st to 2nd century. In addition a large number of features including ditches, pits, a piece of limestone walling and robbed-out wall trenches were found over an area of some 2 hectares suggesting a Roman settlement of the late 1st to early 2nd century AD, though, as a result of the circumstances of excavation, no overall plan was recovered.

{3} This area was included in a level 3, 1:2500 scale, photogrammetric survey which was carried out in June 1995 by the Air Photography unit of RCHME. This project formed part of the larger Industry and Enclosure in the Neolithic Project which was set up the RCHME Cambridge field office. At SP73605885, a small complex of cropmarks was surveyed. The features included several overlapping linear ditches possibly forming parts of larger enclosures. A small scatter of pits and a small rectilinear enclosure, 12 x 24 metres in size, was also visible.

<1> SHAW M., 1979, Romano-British Pottery Kilns on Camp Hill, Northampton, 14/p. 17-30 (Article). SNN22430.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 283-4/site 16 (Series). SNN77383.

<3> Dyer, C, 1995, RCHME: Briar Hill Causewayed Enclosure Project (Archive). SNN114643.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 7:28PM