Monument record 2119/0/1 - Roman road and associated features, Priors Hall

A road aligned east to west is thought to have formed an avenue approach to the villa to the west. It is possible that this avenue was connected to the major road to the east [HER no 6701/1]. Adjacent quarry pits were probably used to extract material for road construction. A 1st-2nd century AD pottery kiln was located to the south of the avenue. Other features included probable charcoal-burning pits and a possible dryer. During the later Roman period the surface of the road was repaired using metal working waste and highly abraded CBM.

{1} Trial trench excavation identified a gully which defined the southern edge of a pebble surface c2.2m wide, probably a trackway aligned east to west. No continuation was identified in an adjacent trench.

{3} Archaeological excavation of Area C which was undertaken in 2021 identified a road aligned roughly east to west and comprising two parallel drainage ditches which were traced for c300m. The ditches were consistently spaced between 6.8-6.9m apart. As well as pottery a total of 19kg of metalworking waste, including slag conglomerate and tap slag, was recovered from the ditches. Discrete patches of metalled surface survived along the entire route. It is thought that the road formed an avenue to the villa to the west, possibly from the road to the east [HER no 6701/1]. At the western end of the avenue there was a distinct kink where it passed a group of five postholes, possibly a related structure. A large volume of Roman pottery was recovered from the roadside ditches adjacent to this structure. Several large quarry pits in the vicinity were probably used for material for road construction.
There was a single well-constructed pottery kiln to the south of the avenue; kiln products date its use to between AD 70-150. Over 60kg of pottery was recovered from the kiln and stake pit; production seems to have focused on ring-neck flagons, lids and jars. Most notably a variant on the Verulamium mortaria appears to have been produced, possibly using the stamp 'CINIYRIS'.
Other notable features include a pit close to the kiln that may represent another truncated kiln, based on in situ burning. Pottery from the pit fill was of a similar date. A modest and shallow key-hole shaped feature, perhaps a dryer, was of note as it was deliberately closed-down.

<1> Moosbauer, A, 2018, Zone 3 Priors Hall Park, Corby, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation
Archaeological Evaluation (Report). SNN111394.

<2> Crank, N. (Editor), 2020, South Midlands Archaeology (50), p. 78-9 (Journal). SNN112426.

<3> Lambert, P, 2022, Priors Hall Corby, Zone 3, Areas B, C, D and E: Post-excavation assessment and updated project design (Report). SNN114188.

<4> Crank, N. (Editor), 2022, South Midlands Archaeology (52), p. 70 (Journal). SNN115177.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 8:14PM