Monument record 1131/0/12 - Possible late Iron Age/early Roman field system

Geophysical survey and trial trench excavation found sparse evidence of late Iron Age/early Roman activity comprising four, perhaps five, ditches and a posthole. The low density of features and comparative lack of finds indicates that these features perhaps denote a field system or stock enclosures

{1} Two positive linear anomalies which have been identified as possible archaeology, although these are somewhat obscured by the amorphous magnetic variation, making further interpretation difficult.

{2} Several archaeological features were exposed during the trial trenching on land at West Haddon Road. The features consisted of four or perhaps five ditches, and a single post-hole. These features were quite dispersed, spanning a 150m wide east-west band across the central area of the proposed site, and broadly following the 185m contour. They are possibly all of a similar first century AD date, although only two ditches produced material potentially contemporary with their use. The very low density of finds and environmental material suggests that the features are not associated with actual domestic occupation, but the ditches could have served as boundary features; perhaps field ditches, stock enclosures or the like. Additionally, a low number of residual struck flints were recovered suggesting a ‘background noise’ of earlier material, and a further sherd of early Roman pottery was recovered in a residual context from one of the plough furrows observed on site.

<1> Bateman, A., 2014, Land off West Haddon Road, Guilsborough: Geophysical Survey report (Report). SNN110613.

<2> Jarvis, W., 2014, An Archaeological Evaluation on Land at West Haddon Road, Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, 2014, p. 14 (Report). SNN110614.

Record last edited

Mar 1 2017 3:15PM