Monument record 1641/17 - Probable Romano-British 'Courtyard House', (& Possible Mansio)

{1} A second multi-roomed structure (Fig 4, B6), lies to the west of the main street fronting onto a minor road south of the shrine/temple TC2. Along the northern side of the courtyard, fronting onto the road, there is a range of four small rooms, three of which possibly had heated floors, linked by a corridor to the rear and with a further longer room, also with a heated floor, at the western end of the range.
Whilst these two building complexes, B5 and B6, were perhaps just the houses of rich urban dwellers, it is possible that one may have been a mansio, the accommodation maintained by the central government for the use of officials and those on official business whilst travelling.
About 50m to the south of the western house complex, B6, there is a possible small bath house (Fig 4, B7), containing at least three heated rooms, and such a structure would be a necessity in association with a mansio. In addition to a mansio and bathhouse, it would be reasonable to also expect evidence for stabling (Smith 1987) although such buildings have seldom been identified in the archaeological record.
There are a number of more complex building groups, including two arrangements of buildings set within courtyards, one of which might be a mansion; government accommodation for the use of officials whilst travelling. If there was a mansio within Irchester it would suggest the town was on the cursus publicus route and may explain why the town was invested with walls, when similar settlements at Ashton and Titchmarsh were not. This notional status may further be supported by the coincidental evidence of the Strator stone, which might suggest some level of Imperial presence at Irchester, along with the recovery of elements of ornamental stone suggesting structure(s) with architectural pretension within the settlement, something missing at the other two towns (Meadows 2006).

<1> Butler A.; Meadows I.; Fisher I., 2010, Archaeological Geophysical Survey at Chester Farm, Irchester, Northamptonshire, p.10+15 Fig.4 (checked) (Report). SNN107215.

Record last edited

Sep 16 2014 4:02PM