Monument record 5843/1 - Potential settlement, near Leys Lane

A dispersed activity of anomalies found through geophysical survey. Curvilinear enclosures, rectangular enclosures and a spread of features likely to represent Iron Age roundhouses identified. A series of parallel linears that most likely represent ridge and furrow were detected by the survey.

{1} The activity in this area is dispersed, potentially with two enclosure ditches, one to the north and one to the southeast, defining the limits of most archaeological features within this field. The archaeological features within this field. The archaeological features include curvilinear enclosures, as well as smaller rectangular enclosures and a spread of features likely representing Iron Age roundhouses. There are also amorphous positive features that may represent former pits or quarrying.

{2} The northern settlement core extended over at least 2.9ha, around Trenches 6–11, 14, 16–19 and 22–23 and comprised interlinked enclosures, some of which contained evidence of posthole structures, pitting, roundhouses and subdivisions. A large boundary ditch marked the settlement’s northern limit, while it extended beyond the site’s limit to the east and west. To the south, there was no clear separation between the settlement core and its peripheral activity. The west area of the settlement within Trenches 16 and 17 contained large number of pits and postholes, suggesting that the main focus of domestic activity within the settlement was located in the vicinity. An inhumation burial was identified within Trench 9, and a possible cremation burial within Trench 23. Trenches 12, 21, 26–27, 29 and 30 contained more sparsely distributed evidence for features associated with the middle to late Iron Age settlement. The evidence indicated the presence of two potential trackways, multiple field boundaries and pits. These areas are interpreted as forming the periphery of the northern settlement.

<1> Robert Evershed, 2023, ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION REPORT: GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY BY MAGNETOMETRY ON LAND AT THE GREEN, GREAT HOUGHTON, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE (Report). SNN116496.

<2> M. Palombelli, J. Wells, I. Sala, 2024, LAND AT GREAT HOUGHTON NORTHAMPTONSHIRE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRIAL TRENCHING (Report). SNN116942.

Record last edited

Nov 14 2025 3:52PM