Monument record 5354/3 - Site of Iron Age/Roman settlement, north of Newton Road

Geophysical survey and trial trench excavation identified Iron Age to Roman settlement remains comprising a series of enclosures and roundhouses alongside a boundary ditch. The remains are part of a linear settlement which extends at least 1km west.

{1} Geophysical survey identified well-defined magnetic anomalies that represent part of a linear settlement of Iron Age to Roman date crossing the northern half of the survey area. A complex of ditched enclosures is present, along with a number of roundhouses, covering an area of c1.5ha. The overlapping arrangement of the enclosures indicates prolonged occupation with a number of phases of development and reorganisation.

{2} Geophysical survey in the adjacent field to the north identified a continuation of a very small part of the settlement comprising a probable enclosure ditch and a boundary ditch.

{3} The trial trench excavation broadly confirmed the results of the geophysical survey. A large boundary ditch enclosed the settlement along its northern and eastern edge. Late Iron Age pottery was recovered from the ditch fills. The settlement area was subdivided by several enclosures and ditches. Pottery predominantly dated to the late Iron Age and a smaller amount from the early Roman period. A roundhouse ring ditch was also identified.

<1> MOLA Northampton, 2020, Archaeological geophysical survey at Newton Road, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, January 2020 (Report). SNN112138.

<2> Walford, J, 2020, Archaeological geophysical survey of a proposed sports pitch at Chelveston Road School, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, November 2020 (Report). SNN112410.

<3> Sharrock, P, 2021, Archaeological trial trench evaluation of land off Newton Road, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, April 2021, https://doi.org/10.5284/1111542 (Report). SNN113150.

<4> Crank, N. (Editor), 2022, South Midlands Archaeology (52), p. 61-2 (Journal). SNN115177.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2025 4:09PM