Monument record 726/0/18 - Probable Romano-British Burials & Adjacent Ditches

A total of three inhumations and a casket burial were found during excavation at Moat Lane

{1} Archaeological trial trench evaluation was undertaken in 2012. The earliest feature within Trench 10 was a grave, probably Roman in date. It was aligned north-south and contained the supine burial of a juvenile. Only the torso and parts of the upper arms were exposed in the southern corner of the trench; the lower part of the skeleton, from the abdominal area down, lay beyond the excavation area. The northern end of the grave had been truncated by a later ditch which had removed the skull and part of the upper left arm. No grave goods or any artefactual dating evidence was recovered from the grave.
The ditch was aligned east to west, and had very steep sides and a flat base, measuring c.1.4m wide x 0.38m deep. The fill of the ditch was slightly cessy in appearance and contained a small assemblage of Roman pottery sherds and fragments of Roman roof tile (imbrices and tegulae) and combed box flue tile; the single small sherd of medieval pottery found is probably intrusive. A human toe bone recovered may be from the adjacent disturbed burial, or perhaps a further burial nearby.
The southern edge of a second ditch was visible in the northern corner of the trench. This ran parallel to the first ditch and had a small stake hole in its slope.

{2} During subsequent excavation in 2013, the remains of some of the inhabitants of Roman Towcester (Lactodurum) were recovered from three graves and a rare casket burial, which also included the bones of woodcock.

{3} A locally made ring-necked flagon and the samian bowl were discovered in a box or casket burial. The wooden sides had long rotted away leaving only the outline of the box, its metal hinges and its contents (the pottery and cremated human remains). Unfortunately none of the pots could be closely dated, although some time between AD 160 and AD 250 is most likely. Casket or box burials such as this, although more common occurrences in the south-eastern counties are a rare find from this part of England; this being the first discovered in Towcester.

Cobain, S and Mudd, A, 2017, Moat Lane Regeneration, Towcester, Northamptonshire: Excavation Report (Report). SNN112323.

<1> Carlyle S., 2012, Moat Lane Regeneration, Towcester, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation, p.11-12 (checked) (Report). SNN109163.

<2> Carlyle, S., 2016, Moat Lane, Towcester, Northamptonshire: Programme of Archaeological Observation Investigation, Recording, Analysis & Publication (Report). SNN110995.

<3> Cotswold Archaeology Ltd, 2016, Unlocking the secrets of the Roman Town (Website). SNN110997.

<4> Cotswold Archaeology Ltd, 2016, Pottery Vessels from Towcester (Website). SNN110996.

<5> Horne B. (Editor), 2014, South Midlands Archaeology (44), p. 33 (Journal). SNN109842.

Record last edited

Jan 29 2021 1:52PM