Monument record 2139/0/3 - Probable Romano-British enclosure/boundary ditch

A 3rd-4th-century ditch, aligned north-south, was traced for at least 60m during construction of Great Billing Way in 1975. A marked absence of contemporary pottery to the east suggests it demarcated the eastern limit of settlement

{1} Soil removal for Great Billing Way revealed a ditch 1m wide by at least 0.35m deep with a flat base into which a slot, 0.30m wide by 0.15m deep, possibly for posts, had been cut. The ditch contained mainly 3rd and 4th century Roman pottery, a quaernstone, a fragment of tufa, one 4th century coin and slag from metalworking. It was traced for at least 60m north-south and may have formed the boundary to a settlement to the west, since fieldwalking has shown a marked absence of pottery east of this line.

{2} Features, ditches with C2nd to C4th finds at SP81126410 to SP81166400.

<1> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1976, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1975, p.185 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN169.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.218/Site 13 (checked) (Series). SNN77383.

<3> Williams J.H.; Shaw M.; Hardy S., 1978-1984, Northampton Development Corporation SMR Secondary Record Sheets, R117 (Catalogue). SNN108.

<4> * Northampton Development Corporation Archaeology Unit, 1975, Great Billing Way, Rectory Farm Site notes, R117 (Archive). SNN116341.

Record last edited

Oct 29 2024 2:21PM