Monument record 726/0/27 - Romano-British settlement, Bickerstaffe Road

Trial trench excavation identified a metalled surface that may be part of the Alchester Road as well as a ditch and pit. Subsequent excavation did not reveal any further evidence of the road, but did identify evidence of settlement throughout the Roman period.

{1} Archaeological trial trench excavation was undertaken in 2019. In Trench 1, an area of stonework dating to the mid-2nd century and an adjacent ditch was identified at the south-west end. This may be the edge of the Alchester Road aligning well with a section identified immediately to the south, although metalling extended across much of the remainder of the trench and this may also represent the road or a minor side road. Later robber pits were also identified. In Trench 3 there was a ditch and a pit, both dating to the later 2nd century. A large assemblage of finds was recovered including parts of a copper alloy bucket handle and a cosmetic spoon.

{4} Archaeological excavation identified Romano-British settlement remains. The earliest phase dated to the mid 1st-2nd centuries and consisted of a layer, ditch terminus and two pits. The second phase, dating to the 2nd century, represented the peak of activity on the site showed it was possibly part of an extra-mural settlement with backyard industrial activity and a possible building. Features included two large boundary ditches, which broadly align with the projected course of the Alchester Road, pits, a stone surface and a stone-lined well. The stone surface was the same as that identified in the earlier evaluation but it appears to be too fragmentary to be a road surface and there was no evidence of roadside ditches. It was more likely to be the remains of an external yard, internal surface or demolition layer. Small quantities of slag indicate smithing was taking place in the area.The final phase, dating to the 3rd-4th centuries and after the construction of the late-2nd century defences, saw further land division followed by the end of the settlement. The site became part of the wider agricultural landscape after the Roman period.

<1> Shipley, A, Archaeological trial trench evaluation on land at Bickerstaffes Road (Water Lane) Towcester, Northamptonshire July 2019 (Report). SNN112115.

<2> Crank, N. (Editor), 2020, South Midlands Archaeology (50), p. 88 (Journal). SNN112426.

<3> Wolframm-Murray, Y, 2021, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 2019, p. 469 (Note). SNN113025.

<4> Jackson-Slater, C, 2022, Bickerstaffes Road (Water Lane), Towcester, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Excavation Final Assessment (Report). SNN114364.

<5> Crank, N. (Editor), 2023, South Midlands Archaeology (53), P. 80 (Journal). SNN116414.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2025 4:07PM