Monument record 9621/2 - Middle Iron Age settlement, Banbury Lane

Archaeological excavation was undertaken in advance of residential development in 2013 of a middle Iron Age settlement. It comprised a roundhouse, small enclosures, four-post structures and pits, which produced moderately sized assemblages of pottery and animal bone. The settlement may have had a primarily pastoral economy and is likely to have been used over the course of two to three centuries, probably coming into use in the 3rd century BC, as indicated by radiocarbon dating of two early dog burials, and falling out of use in the late Iron Age, probably the 1st century BC.

{1} Geophysical survey and trial trench excavation were undertaken in 2009. The survey revealed a palimpsest of strong magnetic anomalies that represent a series of ditched enclosures and related archaeological features of probable Iron Age or Romano-British date. The features were primarily located in the northern field but some weaker magnetic anomalies were also located to the south. The evaluation found a settlement comprising several ditched enclosures and possible roundhouse ring ditches. The small assemblage of pottery recovered from the site has a middle Iron Age origin probably as late as the 2nd century BC whilst pottery from some of the enclosures shows that they began in the 1st century BC and continued into the early 1st century AD. Some animal bone was also recovered.

{6} Archaeological excavation in advance of residential development was undertaken in 2013. A middle Iron Age settlement comprised a roundhouse, small enclosures, four-post structures and
pits, which produced moderately sized assemblages of pottery and animal bone. Two early roundhouses were replaced by a sequence of square and penannular enclosures, characterised by
heavy re-cutting of the original eastern boundary ditch. The entrances to both the enclosures and the roundhouses predominantly faced south-east. There was probably a gradual shift in the focus of activity from east to west. Two four-post structures lay to the south of the main area of settlement; one of the postholes contained a large quantity of middle Iron Age pottery.

The settlement may have had a primarily pastoral economy and is likely to have been used over the course of two to three centuries, probably coming into use in the 3rd century BC, as indicated by radiocarbon dating of two early dog burials, and falling out of use in the late Iron Age, probably the 1st century BC.

<1> Clarke J.; Walford J., 2009, Geophysical Survey and Archaeological Trial Excavation at Land off Banbury Lane, Kings Sutton, Northamptonshire October 2009, p.3, 6 (checked) (Report). SNN107926.

<2> Chapman P. (Ed.), 2010, Archaeology in Northamptonshire, 2009 (36), 36/187 (checked) (Article). SNN107503.

<3> Horne B. (Editor), 2010, South Midlands Archaeology (40), 40/19 (checked) (Journal). SNN107083.

<4> Kidd B., 2014, Trial Trench Evaluation on Land West of Banbury Lane, Kings Sutton, Northamptonshire, September 2014, p.10-13 (checked) (Report). SNN109959.

<5> Ingham, D., 2016, Banbury Lane, Kings Sutton, Northamptonshire: Archaeological excavation, p. 9-11 (Report). SNN110549.

<6> Ingham, D, 2017, A Middle Iron Age settlement at Banbury Lane, King's Sutton, p. 69-84 (Article). SNN110993.

Record last edited

Apr 22 2021 12:09PM