Monument record 3620/1 - Possible Romano-British Villa

Building work in Isham, largely during the construction of houses on Manor Close, discovered Romano-British building debris, late Iron Age finds & possible ditches. The building material, which included tiles and tesserae, suggest a substantial building was located close by

{1} Building work to the W of Manor House farm, at SP 886738, revealed two curving parallel ditches. Part of the inner ditch was excavated and RB pottery (including Samian, coarse ware and Gaulish ware), building materials (some showing evidence of a fire), and animal bones were found, suggesting a Romano-British building site.

{3} Excavation revealed Romano-British ditches and pot sherds, including samian. Also Romano-British tiles, tesserae, and animal bones. Iron Age pot sherds were also recovered as well as prehistoric worked flint.

{5} Building development, roadworks, and extensions to the village school, made necessary a series of rescue excavations in the village of Isham, Northants. Double perimeter ditches, roughly elliptical in plan, plus a few Iron Age sherds, and a pit alignment seen as a crop mark, all indicate settlement before the Roman conquest. Pottery and building debris from a Roman villa show almost continuous occupation to the end of the fourth century AD.
One small bead rim recovered was characteristic of Iron Age pottery 'B'. Associated with the C1st pottery was the skeletal remains of a small horse. Native and imported pottery ranged from C1st to late C4th AD. The upper Roman fill held building rubble, including clay and stone roofing, Limestone tesserae, box tiles and charcoal, some of which showed signs of intense heat. It is possible that the furnaces of the villa bath-suite may have got out of hand.

{6} Romano-British bronze coin found in 1970 in the garden of No.6 Manor Close (SP 8863 7386);

{9} Mr Fox indicated the above site at SP 88507386 and stated that he had also found RB pottery at SP 88527406 and SP 88787384. The site excavated by Mr Fox is now under modern housing and a small market garden. The pottery finds are in Kettering Museum.

<1> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1967, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1966/67 (Roman), p.12 (unchecked) (Article). SNN58197.

<2> SHAW M.; STEADMAN S., 1992, A509 Isham Bypass Archaeological Evaluation, Stage 1: Supplementary Report, p.3 (checked) (Report). SNN71612.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.100 Site 2 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP87SE18 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<5> Fox J.R., 1976, Excavations at Isham, Northants: 1966-71, p.1-11 (unchecked) (Unpublished Report). SNN58181.

<6> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1975, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1974, 10/155 (unchecked) (Report). SNN41605.

<7> Fox J.R., Unknown, Isham, (unchecked) (Report). SNN58182.

<8> 1969, Medieval Archaeology (13), p.273 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN38357.

<9> Baird, J, 1969, Field Investigators Comments, F1 JB 03-DEC-1969 (Note). SNN111452.

Record last edited

Feb 5 2025 7:36PM