Monument record 6893/0/3 - Mid-late Romano-British settlement, Midway

Archaeological investigation has revealed an extensive area of enclosures initially laid out in the 2nd century and associated with the villa immediately to the north. Also identified were a crop processing area, aisled building and a possible temple/mausoleum.

{1} Geophysical survey undertaken in 2015 identified an area of settlement located against the northern edge of the proposed development area. It contains a dense set of poorly resolved of magnetic anomalies which appear to represent a rectilinear pattern of ditches defining small enclosures. These are partially obscured by the unusually strong ridge and furrow anomalies which overlie them. The enhancement of ridge and furrow anomalies is a commonly observed phenomenon, arising when magnetic debris (ceramics, slag, burnt soil, etc) from settlement features becomes incorporated into the topsoil and distributed along the direction of ploughing. It seems reasonable to suggest that the particular enhancement occurring in Area B may be due to materials deriving from the Roman villa which is believed to lie just to the north, beneath the A4500. To the east was an area containing a palimpsest of anomalies representing rectilinear enclosures and associated settlement features. The enclosures exhibit a degree of regularity in their layout, especially in the southern half of the area, and this suggests an origin in the Roman period is most likely.

{2} Archaeological evaluation identified a system of enclosures on a east-west axis. Large quantities of brick, floor and roof tiles were recovered, which probably derive from the known villa to the north of the site. A subcircular enclosure and the stone foundations of two structures, probably relating to food-processing activity, were also identified.

{3} Archaeological excavation was carried out in 2017. During the middle Roman period the Iron Age/early Roman field system [HER 9863/0/2] was abandoned and the landscape was completely re-organised, presumably reflecting changes associated with the establishment of the villa immediately adjacent to the north.

The main complex of middle and middle-late Roman features in Area 1 comprised a roughly rectangular block of conjoined enclosures, which was situated in close proximity to the location of the villa and presumably represents pens and paddocks that were directly associated with the villa buildings. Further south, in Area 2, and similarly close to the west bank of the channel, lay further enclosures that included a group of structures associated with crop processing. A T-shaped crop-drying oven and part of the flue of a second were situated close to a stone-lined tank, all set within a U-shaped enclosure ditch. Similar complexes elsewhere have been interpreted as evidence for malting, probably for the production of beer, with the pit being filled with water to steep the grain before it was dried in the oven. The enclosure system was retained in the later Roman period. One of the latest elements was an aisled building, which overlay several late Roman ditches and was aligned decidedly askew from the principle alignment of the enclosure complex.

A rectangular building was constructed in a rather isolated location to the east of the main complex Although substantially robbed of most of the reusable building material, it was evidently a substantial structure, stone-founded and roofed with stone tiles, and comprised two concentric walls with overall dimensions of 13.5 x 7.5m. The concentric arrangement, and its location beside the outwash channel of a spring, may suggest a religious function. Pollen from the channel indicating the presence of a walnut grove may be the earliest definite evidence for the cultivation of walnut trees in Britain.

<1> Walford, J., 2015, Archaeological geophysical survey of the proposed Midway Park development site at M1, Junction 16 Northamptonshire April to May 2015, p.3-4 (Report). SNN110360.

<2> Finn, C. And Muldowney, M., 2015, Archaeological evaluation at Midway J16, Northamptonshire June to August 2015, p.15 (Report). SNN110359.

<3> Simmonds, A, 2019, M1dway J16, Northamptonshire: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design (Report). SNN112424.

<4> Simmonds, A and Lawrence, S, 2022, Harpole: The landscape of a Roman villa at Panattoni Park (Monograph). SNN113679.

<5> Oxford Archaeology (South), 2023, Digital Archive from an Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief at M1 Dway Junction 16, Weedon Road, Harpole, West Northamptonshire 2017-2018, https://doi.org/10.5284/1105610 (Digital archive). SNN115698.

Record last edited

Nov 30 2023 2:08PM