Monument record 2409/0/7 - Blacksmiths workshop and well

A building located on the south side of a minor road with plentiful evidence of iron smelting, including at least five furnaces. A stone-lined well in the yard contained a large lead tank and pieces of at least one other

{1} Lining roads & constructed over infilled road ditch was series of rectangular buildings; included smith's workshop with remains of at least 5 furnaces; hundreds of iron objects were recovered including hammer & mower's anvil in-situ;

{2} Excavation in 1974 by the Middle Nene Archaeolgical Group. Investigation concentrated on a structure which had its short axis facing the main road, from which there had been a wide run-in or entrance. The wall-lines were represented by robber -trenches and only in one or two places pitched foundation courses survived. The building was 8.25m wide. A mortar floor had been replaced by one of blue clay, to level up subsidence caused by an earlier ditch, probably the original roadside ditch, of early 2nd century date, upon which the building had encroached. The interior of the building provided much evidence of smithing. There were at least five furnaces, four of them cut through the blue clay floor. The best preserved furnace had a long firing chamber with a side vent and stone emplacement, probably for bellows. A rake-out pit yielded small pieces of slag and much hammer-scale. Associated with another furnace, which had been re-lined several times , was smith's hammer and a mower's anvil. A stone-lined trough may have been a quaenching tank.

{3}Smith's workshop under further investigation in 1976; back yard of workshop contained circular well 8.1m deep; dry stone construction which had been backfilled in late C4th; halfway down at level of water table was large decorated lead tank with Chi-rho monogram; thought to have been baptismal font; other metal finds from well included remains of bucket; also leather shoes & lathe-turned wood & considerable environmental material;

{4}Well associated with workshop was found to have been constructed in large bowl-shaped pit with shaft at bottom; whole was backfilled with limestone rubble & clay during Roman period;

{5}3 rectangular stone buildings at junction of roads included smithy containing at least 5 furnaces & stone trough of possible quenching tank; finds included smith's hammer & anvil & nails & other iron objects; stone-lined well found behind smithy; well contained lead tank with Chi-Rho monogram;

{6} In the 1976 season excavation of Building 1 continued. At the rear of Building 1 progress was hampered by plough grooves which had cut into the last two phases of flooring. The only feature visible being a stony arc shaped area. The area west of the building has been called a back yard. Several layers were uncovered including an area of rough paving connected to the building which contained a well.

The well head had disappeared leaving the 1m wide dry stone constructed well shaft. Large roughly shaped tapering masonry blocks had been used in its construction, the inner surfaces showing smooth wear which could indicate a long period of use. The shaft had a total depth of 8.1 metres. The layers to 3.5m represented a deliberate filling of the well, mainly with limestone blocks. Blocking the shaft at this point was a large lead tank. Apart from the lead tank, finds included preserved leather and shoes, ironwork, the handle, brackets and staves of a bucket and a number of lathe turned wooden objects.

Plan of excavation trench with main features & detail of smithy;

{8} Cylindrical lead tank found in 1976 in the filling of a well with late 4th -century material. The tank measures 0.75m in diameter, with sides of 0.37m but deepened by a sagging base to a total of about 0.43m. There are two pierced lugs diametrically opposed on the rim;

{9}Romano-British small town with professional blacksmith's workshop featuring several hearths & quenching tank & number of characteristic finds; substantially largely unpublished archaeological evidence;

{10}The complete tank was marked with a chi-rho monogram denoting probable Christian ownership and use. Though the purpose of such tanks has long been disputed their association is clearly significant and suggests the presence of a Christian community in Ashton in the late Roman period. It is worth remembering in this context the large collection of Christian plate discovered within the walls of nearby Durobrivae and may indicate that the immediate area was a significant Christianised zone in the fourth century AD.

<1> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1975, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1974, p.153 (checked) (Report). SNN41605.

<2> Wild, J.P. (ed.), 1975, Durobrivae: A Review of Nene Valley Archaeology (Vol.3), 12-15 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN59033.

<3> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1977, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1976, p.210-11 (checked) (Report). SNN723.

<4> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1979, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1978, p.105 (checked) (Article). SNN45225.

<5> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.185 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77382.

<6> Nene Valley Research Committee, 1977, Durobrivae: A Review of Nene Valley Archaeology (Vol.5), p.8 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN45237.

<7> 1975, Britannia, 6/253 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN55428.

<8> 1977, Britannia, 8/433-4 & plate XXIXB (Journal). SNN11639.

<9> 1998, Monuments Protection Programme: Bloomery Iron Industry (Provisional Step 2 Shortlist), (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN46996.

<10> Taylor J., 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Ashton (Roman), Section3.5.1 Temples and Shrines (Digital archive). SNN103116.

<11> Taylor J., 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Ashton (Roman), (unchecked) (Report). SNN106654.

<12> Taylor J., 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Ashton (Roman), Section 3.3 Buildings (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN103116.

<13> Guy, C, 1977, The lead tank from Ashton, p. 10-11 (Article). SNN110919.

<14> Current Archaeology, 1976, Ashton, p. 274 (Note). SNN110920.

Record last edited

Nov 7 2017 2:32PM