Monument record 3542/0/2 - Iron Age settlement, near Wollaston School

The evaluation identified a cluster of northeast–southwest linear features in the southeast corner of the site, two of which contained pottery dating to the Middle Iron Age.The excavation identified the peripheral edge of a later Iron Age enclosure system, a later Iron Age roundhouse, measuring c.15 metres in diameter, and a further archaeological structure that was heavily disturbed and fragmented by ploughing.

{1} The evaluation revealed a series of archaeological features in three of the four trenches at Wollaston School. Linear features found in the southeast of the site, some of which contained Middle Iron Age pottery, were clearly observed to be sealed by the subsoil, whereas some of the features in the north of the site appeared to cut through the subsoil horizon. This overall pattern might suggest that the northern features post-date the southern Iron Age features. The southern features were an apparent cluster of southwest-northeast linear ditches. A series of medieval–post-medieval furrows were identified on both northeast–southwest and northwest–southeast orientations which is consistent with furrow patterns recorded in adjacent areas. On broadly the same alignment of the furrows, two parallel ditch features were identified in the northeast corner of the site. The date and function of these features is unknown

{2} Archaeological investigations at Wollaston School have revealed evidence of later Iron Age occupational activity, with residual Roman evidence within a later landscape overlain by Medieval to post-Medieval cultivation and land division. The earliest occupation is indicated by pottery dating from the Middle Iron Age, with most features broadly assigned to the Middle-Late Iron Age, and limited Late Iron Age material suggesting activity did not extend into the latest phases of the period. The excavated features formed part of an extensive settlement of interlinked enclosures, with multiple recut boundary ditches defining settlement limits and possibly trackways, demonstrating long-term management and modification. Two ditched circular structures lay outside the main enclosure system, each containing possible hearths and limited artefactual material. The settlement appears to represent part of a wider agricultural landscape, with evidence for mixed farming.

<1> Lucy Farr, 2024, Archaeological Evaluation at Wollaston School, 100 Irchester Road, Wollaston, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN117034.

<2> Lucy Farr and Marcus Brittain, 2025, Archaeological Excavation at Wollaston School, 100 Irchester Road, Wollaston, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN117069.

Record last edited

May 19 2026 9:22AM