Monument record 6933/1 - Middle and late Iron Age and early Roman Settlement, Monksmoor Farm

Archaeological investigations have identified a continuous sequence of activity probably dating from the middle Iron Age and continuing to the early 2nd century AD. A settlement comprising a roundhouse and several enclosures was established in the middle Iron Age and in the late Iron Age the settlement was redefined with further enclosures and roundhouses. In the early Roman period it was expanded with the construction of large rectilinear enclosures along with smaller enclosures and paddocks on either side of a routeway.

{1} Detailed geophysical survey identified anomalies caused by cut and infilled features including a possible small sub-square enclosure and other boundary ditches.

{2} Trial trench evaluation confrmed that the geophysical anomalies are archaeological features likely to date to the Romano-British period. Features, comprising a small number of ditches/pits, were identified in three trenches. Ditches spatially corresponding with the enclosure were identified; 24 sherds of RB mis 1st-2nd century grey sandyware and oxidised ware were recovered from the fill of the northernmost ditch. It is tentatively suggested that the unabraded pot sherds may indicate that the archaeological features are part of, or relatively close to, RB domestic (farmstead?) activity.

{3} Further geophysical survey and trial trench excavation was undertaken in 2012. The geophysical survey again did not provide a clear enough image of the site for its layout and extent to be clearly defined. Its individual elements are represented by weak and fragmentary anomalies which cannot be fully distinguished from the disturbed magnetic background, or from the overlying ridge and furrow and field drain anomalies. The weakness of the anomalies could indicate that the underlying features are truncated, but could also be a consequence of unfavourable magnetic properties of the soil. Only two elements within Site A are distinct and coherent enough to merit individual description. At the western edge of the survey area there is a pair of L-shaped ditches which seemly define parts of enclosures and, slightly to the east of these, there is a small, almost square, ditched enclosure measuring about 15m across. Other sections of enclosure or boundary ditch have been detected in the surrounding area, indicating the presence of further enclosures and boundaries,
but they are too fragmentary for an overall plan to be established.
The trial trench excavation identified more features associated with the settlement. Although less pottery was recovered it spanned the period from the middle Iron Age to the early Romano-British period.

{4} Archaeological excavation was undertaken between 2013 and 2015. Settlement probably originated in the middle Iron Age and comprised a series of truncated rectilinear enclosure ditches and an associated ring ditch. No dating evidence was recovered from these features and dating is based on stratigraphic relationships with later features. The settlement was reorganised in the late Iron Age with the construction of three rectilinear enclosures and four ring gullies, probably the remains of roundhouses. Two of of the ring gullies were located within two of the enclosures. Late Iron Age pottery was recovered from all the ring gullies.
In the early Roman period, the settlement was replanned and enlarged to the south-west, comprising an enclosure system with linked routeways and several paddocks. A large enclosure ditch (c80m x 70m) had been recut several times and, on the north-west side, a double line of stake holes in the base indicated a possible palisade fence in the latest re-cut. A large quantity of late 1st to 2nd pottery was found in the ditch fills, as well as a hearth base and forge furniture from a forge or kiln. To the west was a north-east to south-west aligned routeway, presumably used to control the movement of stock to a well located to the north and series of smaller paddocks. Three of the paddocks were located to the west of the routeway and were laid in a ladder pattern. The well, 3m in diameter and 0.95m deep, had a well-preserved wattle lining in the lower 0.25m below the water table.

<1> Hancock, A., 2005, Geophysical Survey: Monksmoor Farm, Daventry, p.11 (checked) (Report). SNN107190.

<2> Hancock, A., 2006, Archaeological Evaluation: Land at Monksmoor Farm, Daventry, p.13-15 (checked) (Report). SNN107192.

<3> Walker C.; Walford J., 2012, An Archaeological Evaluation of Land at Monksmoor Farm, Daventry, Northamptonshire November 2012 (Report). SNN109264.

<4> Preece, T., 2019, Early Neolithic, Iron Age and Roman settlement at Monksmoor Farm, Daventry, Northamptonshire (Monograph). SNN111482.

Record last edited

Feb 26 2025 8:17PM