Monument record 4179/1 - Iron Age & Romano-British Settlement, Ashley

Excavations in 1966 uncovered an Iron Age enclosed settlement; this was succeeded in the 2nd century AD by a Roman building which was demolished in the late 2nd century and replaced by another building which was occupied until the late 3rd century AD. A small coin hoard of late 3rd century date (Postumus-Probus, AD 260-282) was also found. Excavations in 1970 200m to the east uncovered an early 4th century building with a mosaic floor which may have formed part of the same complex; evidence for lead smelting and bronze working was also found.

{4} SP 790916 An excavation in 1970, in the field adjacent to the 1966 excavation, stripped an area of some 700sq.yds. finding it much disturbed by rig and furrow and 19thc. land drains. Footings of a strong stone wall ran 48ft across the site with no terminal or angle; it overlay a 4th century rubble layer with contemporary parallel ditch. On the NW was an area of cobbled flooring of no definable plan, but bounded on the W by a timber wall; it overlay a 3rdc-4thc. floor containing in its debris a portion of mosaic with guilloche pattern, and a fragment of an oolite column (diam. 1ft.) showing marks of fire. Further to the N the Iron Age area was undisturbed. No trace was found of the IA defensive ditch (1963, 1966), and very little trace of buildings. The Roman remains indicate distruction of an early 4thc. Building with mosaic/floors and, perhaps, a colonnade. Nature of cobbled floors uncertain, but perhaps a part timbered building adjacent to a late-Roman boundary wall. Several unstratified fragments of galena (lead sulphide) probably indicate lead smelting on the site. A bronze-working hearth was found in 1966.

{6} Villa NH4:Preliminery excavation of the villa in 1963 revealed several phases of stone construction of the second to forth centuries, preceded by a timber building and by early ditches. Iron Age quern fragment found. The building close by (NH 5) is probably related. Villa NH5: Excavation in a field adjacent to NH4 in 1970 exposed building debris, including fragments of mosaic and of a limestone column, sandwiched between the cobbled floors of a sequence of outbuildings of stone. Iron Age pottery, and pottery of the late third and early fourth centuries. Ditches. This site is probably related to NH4.

{7} Roman and Iron Age settlement excavations.

{8} Iron Age and Roman settlement, including a Roman villa, centred on SP788917. Lies in the north of Ashley parish close to the River Welland. Roman building remains at Ashley were first noted in the C18th as having been ploughed-up on the alluvial gravels north of the village, from the nearby vicinity of Alderstone Field, where other Roman antiquities have been recovered. The modern location of these finds is at NGR SP794916.
[SMR note 16/02/2010: this may be a mis-interpretation from RCHME Vol.2 p.1 which lists other finds from Alderstone Field, but appears to separate these from the earlier, C18th ploughing finds.]
In 1966 excavation of an Iron And Roman settlement was undertaken. An Iron Age enclosed settlement of circular buildings, whose inhabitants were probably engaged in mixed farming, was succeeded during the second half of the Ist century AD by a romanised building nearby. By the end of the century, the earlier site had been levelled and a series of stone-based Roman agricultural buildings was subsequently constructed, culminating in the erection of a long barn. The building appears to have become disused by the end of the 3rd century when it may already have been partly demolished. Stone-robbing continued well into the following century and an otherwise undated bronze-melting hearth had been set in the rubble of the dismantled structures.

Evidence from the area excavated to the east in 1970; the principal feature was an extensive spread of metalling at least 375m square, comprising a series of stone surfaces augmented by separate dumps of rubble and other material which had presumably been used for repair and maintenance. The earliest metalling in the area was of pitched stone which was dated to late C1st or early C2nd on the basis of the pottery. Most of the later patches of metalling contained considerable quantities of tesserae. A small group was still in its cement matrix, but divorced from its original pavement. Many pieces were unworn thus suggesting that they were waste pieces from the construction of a new floor rather than demolition of an old one. This would indicate that much of the rubble within the metalled area came from a building which was being drastically remodelled or rebuilt rather than demolished. It may also be significant that a fragment of elaborate neck moulding from a stone column found within the rubble had been burnt or scorched prior to being discarded.
The location of the dwelling house that is implied by the quality of some of the building rubble remains unknown.

{13} Ashley (SP787916): "A large Iron Age "A" agricultural settlement excavated 1966 by S J Taylor beside the R Welland at Ashley was still occupied in Roman times, though unbroken continuity of occupation, while probably, was not conclusively demonstrated. In the second century two buildings were erected over the almost completely silted Iron-Age boundary ditch: one 35 x 85 ft with deep ironstone footings, the other 10 x 24 ft. These were demolished, probably in the late second century, and replaced by a structure 25 x 95 ft. containing a central line of ironstone post-bases and divided into four compartments by dwarf cross-walls at every other base. Occupation ceased in the late third century, a small hoard of scarcely worn antoniniani (Postumus to Probus) being concealed in the debris of the ruined building; but robbing of the structural remains continued at least to the late fourth century."

{14} In 1966 excavations at SP 78791 revealed an Iron Age occupation area, including a succession of circular huts bounded by a large ditch. In the 2nd century two Roman timber buildings were erected on the site which were, in turn, replaced by another building. These were abandoned in the late 3rd century though occupation apparently continued elsewhere on the site. A late 3rd-century coin hoard was discovered.

In 1970 further excavation took place (at SP 790916) when more Iron Age occupation material, ditches and gullies were found, overlain by part of a large stone building of the 3rd or 4th century. This had a tessellated floor. Part of a limestone column was taken as evidence of a portico or colonnade.

{16} As the Roman road traditionally known as Gartree Road crosses the Welland valley from modern Northamptonshire into Leicestershire, it passes through countryside which is not noted for the presence of prehistoric and Roman sites. Beyond the settlements and related areas of occupation which existed along the former highway, the only other site so far recorded is that of a probable Roman villa in the northern part of Ashley parish, close to the river. However it is reasonable to assume that a wider pattern of settlement and activity existed on both sides of the valley, where only the modern extent of permanent pasture and the absence of systematic archaeological fieldwork obscure its recognition.

{20} Mr G W Brown of Weston by Welland indicated the site of the excavations at SP 78829172. The site is now under crop.

{21} Bricks and "ancient foundations" were ploughed up in this area in the C18th.

{22} Romano-British limestone column shaft, redeposited in the C4th AD. More details and illustration given.

{23} Roman Villa (SP 788917). Details of a moulded limestone shaft have been published.

<1> 1887, Transactions of The Leicester Archaeological Society, p.42 (unchecked) (Series). SNN26492.

<2> Brown, A E (ed), 1971, Bulletin of the Northamptonshire Federation of Archaeological Societies, p.5-6 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN13960.

<3> Wilson D.R., 1971, Roman Britain in 1970, p.266 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN58458.

<4> 1971, C.B.A. Group 9 Newsletter, p.8 (unchecked) (Newsletter). SNN58902.

<5> Liversidge J., 1949, Roman Villas in Britain, (unchecked) (Thesis). SNN58904.

<6> Scott, E., 1993, A gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain, p. 140, NH 4 & 5 (Monograph). SNN110345.

<7> 1983, M.P.B.W. Report, p.11 (unchecked) (Report). SNN58191.

<8> TAYLOR S.; DIX B., 1985, Iron Age and Roman Settlement at Ashley, Northants, p.87-111 (unchecked) (Article). SNN104557.

<9> Dix B.N., 1987, Some Unusual Samian Forms, (unchecked) (Note). SNN58457.

<10> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.134+193 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100368.

<11> George T.J., 1904, An Archaeological Survey of Northamptonshire, p.10 (unchecked) (Index). SNN10170.

<12> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP79SE21 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<13> 1968, The Journal of Roman Studies, p.191-192 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN5250.

<14> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.1 Site 1 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

<15> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, Ashley/Site 1 (Database). SNN102279.

<16> MAHANY C., 1987, Unpublished Report, (part checked) (Report). SNN57490.

<17> 1964, The Journal of Roman Studies, p.164 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN26522.

<17> Brown A.E., 1970, A Gazetteer of Prehistoric and Roman Sites and Finds in The Welland Valley, Northamptonshire, 4/57 (unchecked) (Article). SNN38939.

<18> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1966, Bulletin of the Northamptonshire Federation of Archaeological Societies (Roman), p.6-7 (unchecked) (Article). SNN107200.

<19> 1987, Northamptonshire Archaeology Unit: Report for 1987, (checked) (Report). SNN55128.

<20> Baird, J., 1970, Field investigators comments, F1 JB 19-MAR-1970 (Notes). SNN110341.

<21> Nichols J., 1795, The History and Antiquities of The County of Leicester (v.1 The Town of Leicester), p.154 (unchecked) (Series). SNN32358.

<22> Woodfield P., 1978, Roman Architectural Masonry From Northamptonshire, p.79 (checked) (Article). SNN101140.

<23> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 195/Addendum (Series). SNN77382.

Record last edited

Feb 3 2025 7:53PM