Monument record 8317 - Probable mid-late Iron Age farmstead, south of Newlands Road

The northern part of a mid-late Iron Age settlement was excavated, comprising a series of ditched enclosures, a roundhouse, and associated pits and post-holes.

{1} In the eastern part of the survey area, a right-angled positive linear anomaly has been identified. Its long axis, orientated north to south, measures approximately 20m, it turns 90 degrees to the east, and measures 10m on its shortest axis. This may be part of a rectilinear enclosure ditch. A short positive linear anomaly 15m long was identified to the south-east of the possible enclosure ditch.

{2} Initial trial trench evaluation confirmed the results of the geophysical survey identifying an enclosure ditch in two of the trenches. Further features included a gully, post-hole and pit, one of which produced a single sherd of Iron Age pottery.

Subsequent excavation revealed part of a possible D-shaped enclosure, of which the exposed part was 22m east-west, and over 23m north-south, with an internal area of over 340 sq. m. The east side had an entrance 2.4m wide, with the ditch butt-ends out-turned towards the east. Much of the pottery from the enclosure came from the ditch terminals and included plain and scored wares. A line of postholes broadly parallel to the enclosure ditch may have formed an internal palisade or bank support structure. Another group of postholes and small pit were located just outside the entrance and, if contemporary, post-dated the cutting of the enclosure ditch.

To the north, a second enclosure was part of a larger rectangular enclosure (and which had been identified during the geophysical survey and trial trench excavation). It continued beyond the site boundary to the east, but was at least 40m long east-west, and 20m wide north-south. The enclosure ditch was 1.05-1.37m wide, and 0.4-0.58m deep. Most of the excavated ditch sections had only a single fill and only eight sherds of pottery were recovered, as well as a single worked flint.

Inside there was a roundhouse, probably deliberately positioned there with the combination of the enclosure ditches creating an ‘annex’ within which the roundhouse was sited. The roundhouse was very truncated by ploughing and did not form a complete circuit, although the overall plan was clear. It was very close to circular measuring 8m in diameter internally, up to 8.4m externally, and with an internal area of 49.8 sq.m. The entrance was probably sited on the eastern side. An extenal drainage gully circuited the north-western half of the roundhouse and several pits and a gully lay within the roundhouse.

A further ditch to the south may have been part of another enclosure or the southern arm of the rectangular enclosure. Several pit and posthole groups were identified across the site, none formed a coherent plan. One contained a dump of heat-cracked stone, possibly from a hearth.

Conditions on site precluded the preservation of bone, apart from small flecks of calcined bone.

<1> Fisher I., 2013, Archaeological Geophysical Survey of Land South of Newlands Road, Welford, Northamptonshire, October 2013, p.2-3 (checked) (Report). SNN109863.

<2> Clay, P, 2015, An Archaeological Evaluation and Strip, Plan & Sample Excavation on land at Newlands Road, Welford, Northamptonshire, 2015 (Report). SNN110493.

Record last edited

Jun 23 2021 1:13PM