Monument record 3507/1/5 - Middle Iron Age-Roman settlement ('Settlement 4'), North of Hardwater Road

[Part of the Wollaston Quarry project] Settlement 4 represents a complex multi-period site with evidence spanning from the Middle Iron Age through to the 4th century Roman period. Although its full extent is unknown, the excavation revealed a range of features including enclosures, ditches, ring ditches, cremations, and structural remains. Activity intensified during the Early Roman period, with signs of domestic use and later structural development in the Middle and Late Roman phases.

{1} Archaeological excavation undertaken as part of the wider Wollaston Quarry project. Settlement 4's full extent is unknown, as it extended beyond the limits of the archaeological investigation. It was not recorded as a cropmark on aerial photographs, possibly due to the high water table in the area. During the excavation a few sherds of pottery dated to the Middle Iron Age were recovered, but no associated features were present; the pottery was residula as part of larger assemblages. At the eastern end of the site, part of a possible oval Late Iron Age enclosure was identified, measuring 68m by 45m. This area was extensively recut during the Early Roman period, likely removing the earlier enclosure ditch. Within the eastern watching brief area, a ring ditch lay inside the possible enclosure, with its western extent surviving as a drip gully. The ring ditch contained no internal features and was cut by a D-shaped Iron Age enclosure, which abutted the eastern extent of the oval enclosure. The D-shaped enclosure was only partially examined, measuring 15m by 15m internally, and contained five undated postholes and two pits. A curvilinear ditch within the southern extent of the oval enclosure defined a possible paddock measuring 38m by 19m, which contained a few pits and postholes. Three fragmentary ditches within the main excavation area dated to the Late Iron Age, though their function remains unknown.

The main excavation area revealed six ditches and associated recuts dating to the Latest Iron Age to Early Roman period. On the westernmost side, a single ditch with recuts was aligned northwest to southeast and likely lay close to a domestic centre, as one ditch contained a significant quantity of Latest Iron Age/Early Roman pottery. Another ditch, located 15m to the east, had three recuts. At the eastern extent of the excavation area, three ditches and two pits were recorded, including a recut ditch that may have served as a boundary. In the Early Roman period, a large quantity of features was present in the main excavation area, including three possible ring ditches comprising probable drip gullies. Numerous ditches with many recuts were found across the western, central, and eastern parts of the excavation, along with three ditches in the watching brief area. Two cremations were located northeast of Settlement 4, near an Early Roman ditch; one cremation was dated to the Early Roman period based on hobnails recovered.

In the Middle Roman period, possible structures were identified, including two ring ditches, part of a sub-rectangular enclosure, a routeway, undated postholes, and four other ditches, all within the main excavation area. Significant quantities of domestic waste were recovered from the central part of the excavation area, adjacent to a probable ring ditch. During the 4th century Roman period, activity was more scattered. At the western extent of the excavation area, evidence included stone walls, a stone surface, and two ditches. Three short sections of wall footings were uncovered in the west of the site, relating to two possible buildings. These footings survived only where they had sunk into earlier infilled features.

<1> Atkins, R and Meadows, I, 2024, Neolithic pits, late Bronze Age/early Iron Age pit alignments and Iron Age to Roman settlements at Wollaston Quarry, Northamptonshire, p. 31-35 (Monograph). SNN116677.

Record last edited

Jan 27 2026 8:55AM