Monument record 3507/1/6 - Late Bronze Age/early Iron Age pit alignment and Iron Age settlement ('Settlement 5'), South of Hardwater Road

[Part of the Wollaston Quarry project] Settlement 5, located south of Hardwater Road, was investigated by Northamptonshire Archaeology in 1996 although it was initially recorded from aerial photographs and a geophysical survey. Excavations focused on the eastern portion of the site, while the western third was preserved. A 19th century quarry had removed many features in one area. There was a late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age pit alignment, later overlain by a Middle to Late Iron Age settlement. This began as an open, unenclosed layout with ring ditches and postholes, later transitioning into an enclosed layout, including a large sub-rectangular enclosure with internal divisions, possible field system or paddocks. The geophysical survey identified additional enclosures and ditches, some dated by association. Few features were securely Late Iron Age and only one, an L shaped ditch, was linked to the Late Iron Age to early Roman period.

{1} Settlement 5, located directly south of Hardwater Road, was first identified through aerial survey and later investigated via geophysical survey and excavation. Excavation in 1996 by Northamptonshire Archaeology (now MOLA) focused on the eastern two-thirds of the site, while the western third was preserved in situ. A large area (c. 50m by 50m) had been quarried in the 19th century, removing most archaeological features. A Late Bronze Age to Early Bronze Age pit alignment crossed the site on a north to south axis, but was not respected by the later Middle to Late Iron Age settlement, which was oriented north-east to south-west. Most features were loosely dated to the Middle to Late Iron Age, with no evidence of Roman continuation. Ditches from the excavated area extended into the geophysical survey zone, suggesting continuity.

The Iron Age settlement appears to have developed in phases, beginning with an open, unenclosed settlement. This included two adjacent ring ditches in the northern area - one with two undated postholes, the other with around 20 internal postholes and a boundary ditch abutting its entrance. South of these lay a probable sub-rounded enclosure, lacking internal features and partially destroyed on its eastern side. Fragmentary ditches to the north and southeast suggest additional enclosures or a field system. Nearby, a four-post structure and two fragmentary ditches were recorded; a fragment of human cranium found adjacent to the structure may indicate its use as an excarnation platform. The later enclosed phase (enclosure 96/2) reused the same area and included two connected enclosures with internal features, surrounded by probable enclosures and paddocks, all aligned north-west to south-east. A large sub-rectangular enclosure (65m × 60m) with entranceways on the north and east sides contained three internal enclosures arranged north-east to south-west, with short ditches between them.
This main enclosure was the centre of a ditch network, with boundaries abutted on the eastern and northern sides. A D-shaped enclosure lay just north of the eastern entrance. Extending from the north and north-east sides was a large sub-rectangular field system (70m × 50m), with six ditch fragments suggesting subdivisions or paddocks. In the geophysical survey area, a sub-rectangular enclosure was recorded, abutting a ditch from the main enclosure and featuring possible entranceways, a ring ditch, and two internal paddocks. South of this, fragmentary ditches were recorded over a 50m × 40m area, though their function and date remain uncertain. Few features were definitively Late Iron Age: four post pits containing only Late Iron Age pottery and two fragmentary ditches from the main enclosure. A single feature - a Late Iron Age to earliest Roman L-shaped ditch cut through an existing enclosure.

Description from record 3537/0/32:
{1} CMK;1964;HOLLOWELL;DITCHED ENCLOSURES WITH INTERIOR FEATURES & ASSOC LINEAR DITCHES;(1);NCCAP:SP8863/5-12(+);

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.178/Site 12 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

<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.37-42 (Monograph). SNN116677.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP86SE8 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

Record last edited

Jan 27 2026 9:14AM