Monument record 6882/0/2 - Possible Late Iron Age/Early Romano-British Enclosure (Enclosure 2)

{1} Trench 8 contained a single ditch. The ditch cut was 2.4m in width and 1.4m deep with steeply sloping sides and an uneven base containing six fills, all derived from silting. The primary fill was mottled brown-grey silty clay and derived from reworking of the base of the feature through water action of from slumping of natural deposits on the sides fo the ditch. All the fills contained occasional small stones and charcoal flecks, and late Iron Age/ early Roman pottery and cattle bones were recovered from 4 of the 6 contexts. A sample taken fom one of the middle fills produced some charcoal and a significant quantity of mollusc shells, indicating the ditch held standing water.

{2} Enclosure 2 comprised a curvilinear ditch with a narrow, south-easterly facing entrance just over 1m wide. A cobble surface had been laid over the entrance causeway. The area enclosed by the ditches was 41m long x 26m wide. As with Enclosure 1, the enclosure had apparently been left open. The depth of the excavated ditches makes it unlikely that the remainder had been destroyed by ploughing and it therefore seems likely that the enclosed area was partly defined by hedging, banks or some other method that has left no archaeological trace. Inside lay a further ditch which may have served to sub-divide the enclosure.
The eastern enclosure ditch was 32m long and formed a reverse-L-shape in plan. The south part of the ditch was between 2.10-2.40m wide x 1.12-1.27m deep with steep sides and a narrow base, whilst to the north the ditch became much shallower with very different fills. This suggests that the original ditch did not extend northwards, but was later extended. The fills of the original ditch had largely derived from natural silting and slumping from the sides and contained no finds. The ditch was subsequently re-cut and extended northwards. Here it was between 1.30-2.10m wide x 0.60-0.90m deep, with fairly steep sides and a flat base. The fills contained occupation debris including pottery and animal bone.
The western enclosure ditch was 40m long and up to 2.10m wide x 1.25m deep. It had steep, slightly stepped sides and a narrow concave base, although the eastern terminal had a wide U-shaped profile. The fills appeared to derive form natural silting. A later re-cut followed the same alignment more or less, but was up to 1.28m wide x 0.78m deep with a wide U-shaped profile. To the east it became deeper and more V-shaped. As with the eastern enclosure ditch, more evidence of domestic refuse was apparent within the fills of the re-cut.
The narrow south-eastern entrance into the enclosure was just over 1m wide, and further defined by a surface of compacted stone, including pieces of limestone and chalk.

<1> Burke J.; Yates A.; Fisher I., 2010, Archaeological Geophysical Survey and Trial Trench Evaluation on land Off School Lane, Hartwell, Northamptonshire, p.2+5 (checked) (Report). SNN107195.

<2> Walker C.; Burke J., 2012, Archaeological Excavation at School Lane, Hartwell, Northamptonshire: Assessment Report and Updated Project Design, p.10-11 (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.10-11 (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 1:11PM