Monument record 3108/1 - Romano-British Pottery Production, Boundary Avenue

Emergency excavation in 1971 prior to the construction of a playing field identified a short period of intensive activity in the 1st and 2nd centuries including a complex of enclosures, pits and ditches, hearths, traces of huts and 'all the other remains of a major Roman industrial site'. During this period large quantities of pottery of exotic design were made and fired.

{1} Excavation of Iron Age and Romano-British enclosures, with two parallel ditches, kilns and hut circles. Settlement began in 1st century BC. It grew from two small enclosures with field system to being much larger by 45AD. But it was still agricultural base. The arrival of the intrusive group of potters marked the site from going from agricultural to much more industrial use. Allied to the decreasing number of hut circles,the evidence suggests that pottery-making was now a major concern with fewer people living-as opposed to working-on the site.

Kiln types include at least four Woods Type 1A and one Type 1B.

{2} Four phases of occupation have been identified for the kiln complex, the earliest phase consisted 6 small kilns used during the Late Iron Age and Early Belgic periods, in the latest phase, only two larger kilns were in use. These later kilns followed more closely the traditional Romanised clay lined structure associated with Roman pottery production and are dated to around 40 AD;

{3} Iron Age and Roman settlement and kilns (centred SP 943660) covering 5.7 ha. Hand-made and wheel-thrown late Iron Age pottery was being made on the site up to the beginning of the Roman period. This was followed by a short period of intensive activity lasting until the latter part of the 1st century. During this time large quantities of pottery of exotic design were made and fired, in above-ground kilns with movable firebars and central pedestals;

{5} Stripping of a 5.7ha site at Boundary Avenue revealed a complex of enclosures, pits and ditches, mostly dated to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Several pottery kilns were found, which produced Belgic wares in the Claudian and Neronian periods. The kilns were built above ground using a floor of kiln-bars resting on movable clay supports and a dome probably of turf. The only surviving traces of the firing-chamber is usually a shallow depression. There were two main phases of pottery production: the first in the Iron Age C tradition and the second by the absence of coarse wares and use of painted decoration on vessels of exotic and unusual form. Pottery production may have continued into the 2nd century, but of an inferior form.

{8} Record of graffito on coarseware (cut before firing); found in an Antonine context. The graffito is translated as the '(product) of Vitalis'.

<1> Woods P.J.; Hastings S., 1984, Rushden: The Early Fine Wares, (unchecked) (Report). SNN39980.

<2> Swan, V G, 1984, The pottery kilns of Roman Britain (Book). SNN75255.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 90-91/site 4 (Series). SNN77380.

<4> Hall, D (Ed), 1979, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (9), p.54 (checked) (Journal). SNN28703.

<5> Wright, R P, and Hassall, M V C, 1972, Roman Britain in 1971, p. 322-6 & Fig 9 (Note). SNN113112.

<6> Frere, S S, Hassall, M W C, and Tomlin, R S O, 1974, Roman Britain in 1973, p. 265-8 (Note). SNN113032.

<7> 1972, CURRENT ARCHAEOLOGY, p. 204-5 (Journal). SNN30732.

<8> LatinNow, Roman Inscriptions of Britain online database, https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/2502.26 (Website). SNN115998.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 8:18PM