Monument record 6893/0/9 - Probable Roman building

Stone foundations of a building at least 4.90m long and 2.40m wide, aligned east to west and open on the eastern side. Possible beaten clay floor

{2} Structure 1 was a sub-rectangular stone-built feature approximately 4.90m long by 2.40m wide, aligned east-west, and open on the eastern side. The wall foundations were composed of roughly-worked limestone blocks at least two courses thick and one wide without mortar, and roughly-faced on the inside. Its surviving width was between 0.22m-0.32m, and height was 0.15m. The east-west wall foundation had a distinct kink to the west end, which might be a structural feature or due to subsidence. The internal area, 6.40m long by 2.30m wide, was filled with hard dark grey clay-loam, with occasional lumps of ironstone and limestone and pieces of charcoal and daub. Roof tiles, iron nails, and late 2nd- to 3rd-century AD pottery was retrieved from this layer. A short 0.60m long section of wall foundation was observed to the south and east of Structure 1. This section of wall may be truncated by robber cut which was filled by lumps of limestone from the wall. Both of these features indicate further foundations may lie to the south outside the trench.

Four sub-circular pits or postholes were cut in the locality of the structures. To the west of Structure 1 was a pit, 0.60m in diameter, and filled with compact dark grey clay loam with occasional chips of stone and rare charcoal. Immediately to the south-east of Structure 1 was a pit, 0.90m in diameter. It was filled with hard dark grey-black clay loam, with charcoal, burnt clay and burnt stone (5713). Directly to the south was another pit, 1.60m wide, and filled with dark yellow-brown clay loam, with stones. A further pit or posthole was 0.50-0.60m diameter, and filled with hard dark yellow-brown to dark grey clay loam, with frequent limestone/ironstone blocks. The regular positioning of these cuts may indicate them to be timber postholes associated with Structures 1 and 2.

Walford, J., 2015, Archaeological geophysical survey of the proposed Midway Park development site at M1, Junction 16 Northamptonshire April to May 2015 (Report). SNN110360.

<2> Finn, C. And Muldowney, M., 2015, Archaeological evaluation at Midway J16, Northamptonshire June to August 2015, p.21 (Report). SNN110359.

Record last edited

Jul 13 2016 11:45AM