Monument record 5102 - Late Iron Age/Romano-British Settlement, Booth Rise

Archaeological investigation ahead of development identified part of a late Iron Age and early Roman settlement. The earliest activity comprised a small number of late Iron Age pits some of which had been backfilled with large amounts of limestone. At least one may have been a substantial foundation. In the early 1st century AD a series of boundary ditches, enclosures and a trackway were laid out which were maintained and modified throughout the 1st century. There was a reorganisation in the late 1st to early 2nd century to a more rectilinear plan. A kiln and a inhumation with grave goods were found in one of the enclosures. During the early to mid 2nd century settlement activity contracted and shifted to the north-east. There was no identifiable settlement on the site by the end of the 2nd century. Probable contemporary field systems identified on the eastern side of Lumbertubs Way may be associated.

{1} The geophysical survey identified a number of anomalies of possible archaeological origin;

{2} Archaeological trial trench excavation was undertaken in 2015. Some of the anomalies identified by the geophysical survey were found to be of archaeological origin and others as natural or of modern origin. A series of other archaeological features were also found which were not identified during the geophysical survey. The majority of the investigated features were boundary and drainage ditches, which were dated by the pottery assemblage to circa 0-125 AD. The remains, along with the analysis of a number of environmental samples, suggested that the site could be characterised as a low status rural farmstead, with activity concentrated in the south and east of the site;

{3} Archaeological excavation of land at Booth Rise was undertaken between September 2012 and January 2013. Part of an early Romano-British rural settlement was uncovered as well as a small number of late Iron Age pits.

The late Iron Age was represented by eight pits scattered across the south and west part of the site. Although the evidence suggests that the area was not extensively used prior to the early C1st AD the presence of colluvial deposit on the lower slope at the north-east end of the site, predating the Romano-British activity, suggests that prehistoric arable farming upslope had allowed unconsolidated material to wash down-slope. Four of the pits had been filled with large tabular limestone fragments that had been imported into the site. The stone in one of the pits was very tightly packed and had the appearance of a foundation pad.

The majority of the features recorded within the excavated area dated to the Romano-British period, which saw the construction of a series of boundaries, enclosures and trackways as well as features associated with non-specialised rural settlement. However, no structures were identified and it is likely that the core of the settlement was some distance beyond the development area.

In the early 1st century AD the initial layout of a series of ditches offset from a north to south aligned boundary ditch that maintained a significant influence on the use of the area throughout the period. These seem to be associated with the establishment of a trackway or droveway in the south-east part of the site.
During the remainder of the 1st century there were minor modifications and maintenance of existing features. This indicates that the occupants had a settled form of existence with this area being maintained as a series of paddocks and stock enclosures as part of a broader mixed agricultural settlement.

In the late C1st to early C2nd AD, a reorganisation of the boundaries and enclosures into a more rectilinear pattern was undertaken that suggests an increasingly unified approach to the management of this area, but it was not a significant departure from the previous layout and does not necessarily represent a break in continuity or use or function. The north-south boundary ditch was retained and extended, forming the spine between the remodelled Enclosure 2 to the east and Enclosure 6 to the west.


A kiln was sited in the south-west corner of one of the enclosures. It was sub-rectangular, 3.6m long x 2.2m wide and 0.7m deep. It had a stepped western side leading to a stokehole area and then the firing chamber, marked by the burning of the natural limestone base. It had no internal structure, but numerous kiln bar fragments and deposits of fuel ash slag were recovered form its fill, as well as the features cut into it and the surrounding contemporary enclosure ditches, indicating that it was probably a pottery kiln. It is possible that its use was short lived, perhaps only one firing.
A small pit was cut into the backfilled, disused kiln, probably targeting the kiln perhaps to recover reusable materials. This would explain the presence of dumped kiln material in some of the contemporary ditches and pits. The kiln-robbing pit in the south-west corner of the enclosure was in turn cut by a grave which contained a semi-crouched adult male 25-35 years of age. The grave cut respected the edge of the kiln and is likely to have made use of the softer ground at this point. This was the only grave found within the excavated area. The burial was in a semi-crouched position with his knees drawn up against the edge of the grave, his hips and lower back flat on the base of the grave, but the upper torso turned onto his left side with his arms tucked up and loosely flexed close to his face. Grave goods had been carefully placed between his stomach and the grave edge. These comprised a copy of a Gallo-Belgic platter (40-70 AD), with an inscribed Aucissa brooch sitting on it and a butt-beaker copy just above it. The latter had tipped over during settling of the grave fill so it had fractured at the shoulder. The grave was cut by a later pit which damaged the right hip of the inhumation. This large pit was proably cut to extract reusable material from the kiln which underlay the burial. That it clipped the right side of the body suggests that the grave was not well marked.

During the early to mid C2nd AD the settlement contracted or shifted. Activity from this period ceased on the site before the turn of the C3rd at the very latest and probably some time before that. Use of the area had contracted to the north-east part of the site and comprised two enclosures and some pits.

{5} Archaeological evalution, comprising geophysical survey and trial trench excavation, identified a small number of undated features to the east of Lumbertubs Way and north of Fraser Road. The ditches may represent a field system on the periphery of the Roman settlement.

<1> Wilson,M. and Planas, M, 2012, Booth Rise, Northampton: Archaeological Geophysical Survey, January 2012 (Report). SNN111463.

<2> Morris, M., 2015, Archaeological evaluation of land between Booth Rise and Talavera Way, Northampton, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN110186.

<3> Muldowney L., 2013, Archaeological Excavation at Booth Rise, Northampton: Assessment Report and Updated Project Design, p.12 (checked) (Report). SNN109176.

<4> Muldowney L., 2015, Archaeological excavation on land at Booth Rise, Northampton September 2012 to January 2013 (Report). SNN110310.

<5> Walford, J, 2020, Archaeological geophysical survey of land north of Fraser Road, Northampton August 2020 (Report). SNN112719.

<6> Collins, C, 2020, Archaeological Evaluation at Fraser Road Northampton Northamptonshire October 2020 (Report). SNN112720.

Record last edited

Oct 15 2021 2:47PM