Monument record 6893/0/13 - Late Bronze Age to middle Iron Age settlement, Midway

Archaeological investigations were undertaken ahead of large-scale development. An area of settlement dating from the late Bronze Age to the middle Iron Age was identified in the south-eastern part of a wider complex of archaeological remains. A possible in situ knapping scatter dating to the Mesolithic period was also found.

{1} Geophysical survey identified a complex of probable archaeological features. The two main elements of the cluster are an annular and a penanular anomaly which represent slightly overlapping ring ditches with diameters of approximately 22m and 13m. These could represent Neolithic to Bronze Age monuments (round barrows or small henges) or an enclosure and a roundhouse of Iron Age to Roman date.

{2} Archaeological evaluation found that the smaller circular feature to the east may have been either a roundhouse or small enclosure of ring ditches. Two pits or postholes were contained within the feature. The larger circular feature measured 21.5m in diameter. The western arm showed a sequence of three or four ditches, while the eastern arm appeared to have only one phase. Middle Iron Age pottery was recovered.

{3} Archaeological excavation (Area 4) identified a small late Bronze Age/early Iron Age settlement comprising two enclosures, one rectilinear and the other curvilinear, and a penannular gully. Possibly directly succeeding this was a middle Iron Age settlement that was at least partly enclosed. The initial phase of the settlement was associated with pottery dating from the early-middle Iron Age and comprised at least five roundhouses, represented by penannular gullies. In two instances the gullies intersected, indicating that the buildings were not all contemporary, and the largest gully had been recut on at least three occasions. A further two intersecting penannular gullies were stratigraphically later and contained pottery of middle-late Iron Age date.

<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.35 (Report). SNN110359.

<3> Simmonds, A, 2019, M1dway J16, Northamptonshire: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design, p. 7-8 (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 2:05PM