Monument record 7319 - Site of middle Iron Age to Romano-British activity

An Iron Age settlement enclosure, built over earlier Iron Age ditches, contained the remains of ring gullies and several ancillary buildings or structures represented by ditches and postholes. The inside of the enclosure was reorganised in the Roman period, with a ditch bisecting the interior and truncating earlier Iron Age features.

{1} Geophysical survey identified a series of positive and negative linear magnetic anomalies forming a c.60m-square area. These anomalies have the characteristics of soil filled ditches and appear to form a square enclosure with one or more possible entrances on the southwest side. Within the square area were three curvilinear magnetic anomalies which are interpreted as soil-filled features. Given the possible presence of an enclosure it is conceivable that these represent the ring ditches of one or more round houses.
Two further parallel positive linear magnetic anomalies were detected on the south east side of the square area, one immediately inside the enclosure and one to the south east, which may be associated. However, it is also possible that these are unrelated features, such as magnetically-enhanced plough furrows.

{2} Archaeological trial trench excavation identified the enclosure ditches in several trenches.

{3} Archaeological excavation of the enclosure and internal features was undertaken. The earliest evidence of settlement was a series of ditches found across the site and under the main enclosure, mostly aligned north-west to south-east and generally containing single fills with no finds, with their earlier date suggested by their stratigraphic relationship to the main ditch enclosure. The ditches may represent agricultural features, such as boundary ditches or drainage ditches, pre-dating the main enclosure. Three large pits were located towards the middle of the excavated area. The shape of the pits with vertical sides with a slight turn inwards at the top suggested an initial use as a storage pit, later used as refuse pits. Early Iron Age pottery was found in the fills with middle Iron Age pottery in the upper fill of one. Animal bone and crop processing waste was also recovered.

A square enclosure defined by a substantial ditch and enclosing an area of 0.3ha was probably established in the later middle Iron Age. The ditch was up to 4.5m wide and 1.8m deep in places, with a 5m-wide entrance in the western corner. The enclosure ditch appeared to respect earlier land divisions. The original enclosure ditches produced pottery that could only be broadly dated to the Iron Age. A recut of the eastern arm was undertaken during the Iron Age. A further ditch was located along the internal edge of the northern enclosure ditch. Apart from respecting the alignment of the enclosure ditch, the relationship was unclear. It was at least 18m long and set 4m south of the main enclosure ditch. It may have formed a 4m wide trackway along the north side of the enclosure funnelling people and livestock around the northern perimeter of the enclosure, possibly a defensive intent.
A third recut of the enclosure ditch undertaken in the later 1st century AD was less substantial than its predecessors, indicating that the ditch had been largely infilled by this time and implying a period of abandonment and gradual infilling after the middle Iron Age. Across the external entrance to the enclosure was a ditch that appeared to control access to and through the enclosure. Initially, the enclosure appeared to be divided internally, but subsequently the ditch along the internal edge of the enclosure was reinstated. It was substantial and may have formed the trench for a palisade.

Five ring gullies were situated within the enclosure and probably represent the remains of a series of round houses. Ring gully 1 survived as a semi-circle with an 8m diameter in the northern part of the enclosure with a possible south-east facing entrance. Two pits lay inside containing Iron Age pottery. To the north-east was ring gully 2, 6m in diameter. Ring gully 3 lay in the southern part of the enclosure, 8m in diameter with a 2.5m wide, north-east facing entrance. Storage pits and postholes lay inside. The pits contained middle Iron Age pottery and one provided evidence of crop preocessing. To the north-east was ring gully 4, 9m in diameter with an open side facing north and two internal postholes. Ring gully 5 may have been an ancillary structure.

The remains of a possible rectangular structure dating to the Roman period lay within the enclosure. It was defined by two lengths of L-shaped ditch. The ditches were located either side of a ring gully, but the relationship was unclear.

<1> Railton M., 2011, Geophysical Surveys of Land to The North West of Crick, Northamptonshire, (checked) (Report). SNN108060.

<2> McIntyre I., 2012, Land at Crick, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Report). SNN108444.

<3> Powell, N., 2016, An Iron Age and Roman settlement to the north-west of Crick, Northamptonshire: excavations in 2012-13 (Report). SNN110386.

<4> Mudd, A. Powell, N. & Stone, D., 2017, Iron Age and Roman settlement to the north-west of Crick (Article). SNN111037.

Record last edited

Jun 29 2022 12:01PM