Monument record 6882/0/1 - Late Iron Age/Early Romano-British Enclosure (Enclosure 1)

{1} Trench 4 contained a single feature on the south western limit of the trench which corresponded with a curvilinear geophysical anomaly. It was not possible to bottom this feature was it extended below safe working depths. It has steeply sloping sides, which flared out at the top. The lowest fill exposed was a slump deposit comprising orange-brown silty clay, overlain by a dark brown silted clay that produced late Iron Age/ early Roman pottery, charcoal and weed seeds. Overlying this was mid-brown sandy orange silty clay containing mid-late Iron Age pottery.
This feature was also seen in trench 6. The ditch was 2.45m in width and 1.15m deep with sloping sides and a concave base, containing a sequence of 3 fills derived from silting. The middle fill contained late Iron Age/ early Roman pottery together with cattle and sheep/goat bone.

{2} Enclosure 1 was located in the eastern part of the site. Only its western edge was fully defined, comprising a curvilinear ditch constructed in two parts, and extending for 80m north to south. The two sections abutted each other and it is likely that the southernmost was an extension to the enclosure, perhaps contemporary with the re-cutting of the central part of the northernmost ditch. It is unclear whether other parts of this enclosure were defined by ditches.
The main enclosure ditch was 60m long with an average width of 4.5m and up to 1.98m deep. It was generally U-shaped in profile, although the sides were stepped in places, with rounded terminals.
The southern ditch extension was 26.7m long x c.1.5m wide and up to 1.2m deep. It was U-shaped in profile with steep sides and rounded terminals. Two upper stones from beehive querns were found in the upper fill of the north terminal.
Basal fills were overlain by slump deposits and a series of silting episodes interspersed with dumps containing domestic material. The central part of the northern ditch appeared to have been re-cut and evidence from the ditch fills suggests that slumping commenced fairly rapidly after first being cut. Although re-cuts were made to the central part of the ditch, such maintenance did not extend the full length.

<1> Burke J.; Yates A.; Fisher I., 2010, Archaeological Geophysical Survey and Trial Trench Evaluation on land Off School Lane, Hartwell, Northamptonshire, p.2, 4 (checked) (Report). SNN107195.

<2> Walker C.; Burke J., 2012, Archaeological Excavation at School Lane, Hartwell, Northamptonshire: Assessment Report and Updated Project Design, p.8 (checked) (Report). SNN109201.

<3> Finn, C., Chapman, A., Walker C. And Burke J., 2015, Late Iron Age and early Roman settlement at School Lane, Hartwell, Northamptonshire 2015, p.8 (checked) (Report). SNN110428.

<4> Finn, C., Chapman, A., Burke, J., and Walker, C., 2019, Late Iron Age and early Roman settlement at School Lane, Hartwell, p. 119-144 (Article). SNN111730.

Record last edited

Nov 19 2020 1:10PM