Monument record 2026/2 - Roman pottery production, Ecton North Lodge

Large Romano British kiln site at North Lodge Farm. Finds include crop marks, Roman pottery, coins and jewellery and and up to 50 kilns and indicate a Roman settlement dating to 1st - 4th century AD. Small scale excavation in 1962 uncovered four of the kilns and showed that a wide range of coarse domestic pottery was being made in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Summary from record 2026/0/16: Undated gullies found during observation of digging of electricity poles on Scheduled Monument in 1991

{1} Cropmarks seen in 1959 of enclosures, 1 double ditched, and at least 13 ring ditches, probably hut sites; enclosure; Double ditch enclosures; Further deep ploughing has now enabled the sites of possibly as many as 50 kilns to be identified. Small scale excavation in 1962 uncovered 4 kilns and showed that a wide range of coarse domestic pottery was being made in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Fieldwalking produced immense quantities of sandy grey Roman pottery, with patches of burnt clay with grass impressions on it, suggesting an extensive pottery manufacturing site. Areas of black soil with more pottery, baked clay and fire-reddened stones appeared later. Finds include a small fragment of millstone grit rotary quern, a brooch of the 2nd half of the 1st century AD, and in 1970 a bronze bracelet.

{2} Four kilns were recorded and 3 excavated in the summer of 1962. The kilns lie in a compact group.
Kiln 1: updraught kiln with firebars, orientated north-south. It was pear shapes and measured 3ft 9 by 6ft internally, and had a chamber narrowing intoa flue 14in wide. There was a large stokehole 9ft across and roughly circular.
Kiln 2 lay to the north of kiln 1 and was very well poreserved. The furnace and flue, measuring 3ft 3 by 5ft 9 were in good rionstone masonry and unlike kiln 1 the walls were lined with clay and the floor with stone.
Kiln 3 had been dismantled to make room for kiln 1, which was dug intot he rubble filling of its stoke-hole, and which itself apparently formed part of the stoke hole of the later kiln. The furnace measured 2ft 9 by 6ft and was largely of clay with a few ironstone blocks.
Kiln 4 lay 20yds west of kiln 1 and was damaged by ploughing. It was od the updraught variety, orientated east-west and of the same design as kiln 1.

{3} Air photographs show a number of overlapping enclosures, one double-ditched, associated with at least 13 ring ditches, most of which are probably hut-sites. Field-walking has produced immense quantities of Roman pottery together with patches of burnt clay. The sites of at least 50 kilns have been identified, and a small excavation in 1962 recovered details of four of them. These showed that a wide range of pottery was being made here during the 2nd and 3rd centuries. A number of Roman coins have been discovered, as well as part of a rotary quern, a brooch and a bronze bracelet.

{4} Coin from site of Roman pottery kilns: Faustina II sestertius, rev. Fecunditas, AD161-70. Found with kiln refuse.

{6} Two coins found in March 1972: a 3rd century imitation radiate antoninianus; and a radiate antoninianus, emporer uncertain, both of the period about 270AD. In December 1972, a piece of bronze bracelet was found.

{7} Fragments of quern of millstone grit found on Roman kiln site;

{8}Two shallow gullies, both approx. 100mm deep and c.300-400mm wide, located at a depth of c.300mm below modern ground surface. They both appeared to be aligned approx. north west to south east. No finds were present but these features are presumably part of the Romano-British settlement evidenced by cropmarks.

{9} The area to the east of the Scheduled Monument was walked intensively. The Roman pottery was clearly concentrated in the north-west corner of the study area, with a much smaller, secondary grouping on a ridge immediately to the south-east. The edges of the scatter are well defined at the east and south. The very large quantity of pottery recovered, up to 228 per stint, is probably due to the proximity of the pottery production centre. Although the pottery concentration lay close to the features discovered by the geophysical survey the individual sherds are small and abraded.

{10} Roman coin from kiln site: silver denarius of Galba (AD68-9) in good condition.

{11} Roman coins found 1966/7 on site of Roman pottery kilns: illegible 3rd-4th century coin; coin of Gratian, rev: Gloris Novi Saeculi, Arles mint, AD365-75.

Aerial photos NCCAP:SP8265/35-39 and NCCAP:SP8265/53+54

{13} Extensive significant problems: arable ploughing.

{16} All finds now held by Northampton museum. The site has been recently harvested [in 1970] and is now under corn stubble. There is a considerable surface pottery spread and slight depressions probably indicate the presence of other kilns. Centre of kiln sites surveyed at 1:2500 to SP 82231 65312.

<1> HOLLOWELL R., 1971, Aerial Photography and Fieldwork in the Upper Nene Valley, 6/9 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN106546.

<2> Johnston D.E., 1969, Romano-British Pottery Kilns Near Northampton, pp.75-97 (unchecked) (Article). SNN59099.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.47 site 5 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

<4> Brown A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Roman), 3/9 (unchecked) (Article). SNN58198.

<5> Northampton Museum Topographical Index, (unchecked) (Index). SNN1470.

<6> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1973, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1972, 8/6 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN8956.

<7> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1974, Archaeology In Northamptonshire 1973, 9/89 (unchecked) (Article). SNN9109.

<8> NCCAU, 1991, SMR report form: North Lodge SAM (SMR Report Form). SNN110761.

<9> Holmes M.; Meadows I., 1995, Archaeological assessment And Recording, Northampton South Trunk Main Phase 2, 1991-1993, p. 19-20 (Report). SNN100411.

<10> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1970, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1969 (Roman), 4/8 (unchecked) (Article). SNN100535.

<11> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1967, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1966/67 (Roman), p.9 (unchecked) (Article). SNN58197.

<12> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP86NW13 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<13> Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2016, p. 57 (Report). SNN110747.

<14> Historic England, 2018, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2018, p. 65 (Report). SNN111434.

<15> Historic England, 2017, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2017, p. 65 (Report). SNN111090.

<16> Colquhoun, FD, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 FDC 28-AUG-70 (Notes). SNN111540.

Record last edited

Feb 5 2025 6:38PM