Monument record 5338 - Probable late Iron Age/early Roman farmstead, Twelve Oaks

An area of possible Iron Age to Roman curvilinear enclosures are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs northwest of Newton Bromswold. Partial excavation undertaken prior to the cutting of a pipeline identified part of a late Iron Age enclosure system, probably a single family farmstead, which went out of use in the early Roman period.

{1} Cropmarks; two possible conjoined oval enclosures; 1986; SP 996656; NCCAP:9965/10-11;

{2} Preliminary geophysical of the pipeline route identified two anomalies of archaeological origin in Field 6. They occurred at the centre of the surveyed area with a further two linear features to the south. All of these features extended beyond the survey area and broadly coincided with a cropmark site previously identified by aerial photography.

Excavation was undertaken within the pipeline corridor and comprised an area c95m long and c10.5m wide. The stripped area coincided with parts of two of the enclosures visible on aerial photographs. There was probably a single period of occupation beginning in the 1st century BC and continuing through the first half of the 1st century AD. In the northern of the two enclosures there were a number of internal elements, including ditches and pits, all containing late iron Age pottery. There were no features within the southern enclosure, perhaps suggesting that it was used to enclose stock.

A small amount of early Roman material dating to the mid-1st century AD focussed on the southernmost part of the excavated area, perhaps suggesting a short-term relocation to a small open settlement to the south. Features included a curvilinear gully and pits.

{5} An area of possible Iron Age to Roman curvilinear enclosures are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs and were mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. The conjoined enclosures are centred at SP 99397 65640, northwest of Newton Bromswold and suggest an late prehistoric settlement.

<1> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, NCCAP:9965/10-11 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<2> Upson-Smith T., 2007, Archaeological Evaluation of The Anglian Water Pipeline from Chelveston to Newton Bromswold, Northamptonshire, July 2006 (Report). SNN105822.

<3> Upson-Smith, T, 2006, A late Iron Age settlement at Manor Farm, Newton Bromswold, Northamptonshire (Article). SNN112200.

<4> Horne B. (Editor), 2007, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (37), p. 18 (Newsletter). SNN106005.

<5> Oblique Aerial Photograph, NHC 3064/25 28-JUL-1986 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN111738.

<6> Bedford Borough Council HER, Undated, Bedford Borough NMP (Archive). SNN113023.

Record last edited

Feb 4 2025 8:35PM