Monument record 1767/1/4 - Romano-British barn

{1} A rectangular structure 10.6m long (NW-SE) and 6.2m wide. The walls survived to a maximum of 0.28m in height, or four courses of limestone, and were 0.75-0.9m wide. They were faced with roughly dressed limestone in fairly regular courses, with rubble cores. The foundations consisted of a single course of pitched limestone, 0.6m wide and 0.3m deep. The wall faces were offset by 0.1m beyond the edges of the foundations. A gap at the E end of the S wall appeared to be a door. A possible second entrance was noted in the E wall.
The interior of the building was largely plain. Four postholes were cut from the same level as the wall foundations, and are probably primary features within the structure. The limestone packing for each post survived, although no post pipes were apparent. It is possible that the features acted as post pads.
It is possible that the natural sandy clay subsoil was used as the floor in the first instance. A rough limestone surface had been laid onto this. The layer was very worn, and could only be traced in patches. The limestone floor was sealed by a layer of reddish brown silty clay up to 0.08 in thick. The upper surface of this was flush with the top of the stone packing to the earlier postholes, suggesting that the timbers remained in situ. A limestone rubble layer overlay the silty clay, also sealing the E wall.
The structure may have remained in use into the 3rd century.

The structure appears to be a barn. There was no evidence for domestic activity. Hearths were noticeably absent, and few artefacts were found. Floors were generally crude. The irregular placement of the postholes within the structure suggests that they are not primarily structural. They are perhaps more likely to represent screening or division of the interior into bays/stalls.

{3} An excavation undertaken by Oxford Archaeology in 1990; in the mid 2nd century the buildings probably represented a watermill, since there was a leat on either side of the building; use as a barn may be indicated by the large entrance;

<1> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 1992, Redlands Farm, Stanwick: Site Narrative, p.37-8, 43, 60 (checked) (Report). SNN69021.

<2> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 1992, Redlands Farm, Stanwick, Northamptonshire: Post-Excavation Assessment, (unchecked) (Report). SNN75157.

<3> Parry S., 1993, Raunds Area Survey Report, (checked) (Draft). SNN1175.

Record last edited

Oct 9 2014 3:37PM