Monument record 6052 - Romano-British Settlement and pottery producing site, Whitfield Turn

Archaeological investigation prior to the construction of the A43 dual carriageway identified part of a Roman settlement probably comprising buildings set within enclosures. Two pottery kilns were also found.

{2} Three transects were walked along the route of the proposed dual carriageway in the southernmost portion of the field. 8 pieces of struck flint were recovered, along with 279 Romano-British pottery sherds, and 3 sherds of early-middle Saxon pottery.
A total of 279 sherds of pottery was positively identified as Romano-British, mostly from the central portion of the field walked. However, the pottery concentration seemed to continue northwards for about 50m into the part of the field not being surveyed. The pottery was mostly dated to the C2nd/C3rd AD and may be associated with a contemporary rural settlement. The greatest quantity of pottery coincides with two separate scatters of limestone, which might denote ploughed-out building debris, although no other types of building materials such as tiles, mortar, plaster or fragments of mosaic were observed.
The 3 sherds of early-middle Saxon pottery were the only sherds of this date recovered from the entire survey.

{3} Geophysical survey [SMR note: is this recorded?] indicates that two ditches are part of the same features turning south from a south-west alignment. It was widest in the northern part of the site, becoming narrower and shallower in the south. The pottery was generally late C2nd or C3rd in date suggesting that this features may have been later than the ditches to the south-west.

{5} The site comprised a generally sparse scatter of ditches and pits as well as some minor features and two pottery kilns. The overall pattern of the site is unclear, but it probably included buildings within a layout of enclosures. A large pottery assemblage was recovered, for the most part dating to the C2nd and C3rd AD. These included jars and bowls in a sandy grog-tempered fabric which appears to have been made on-site.

The bases of two pottery kilns were discovered in the central part of the site. The firing chambers were 1.5m and 1.3m in diameter respectively, with flues and rake-out pits. The firing chambers and flues were partly lined with stone slates, but the bases were unlined. They survived to a depth of about 0.25m. The firing chambers and rake-out pits of both features contained abundant pottery and kiln debris, including kiln bars which would have been used for temporary flooring.

{6} Geophysical survey plot shows that the settlement extended significantly further to the north-west; the excavated area probably lay towards the margin of the settlement. The excavated features generally comprised a sparse scatter of ditches, some forming enclosures, and pits and two pottery kilns. A large assemblage of pottery was recovered, for the most part dating to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.

<1> 1993, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN48893.

<2> AUDOUY M.; SHARMAN T., 1993, A43 Trunk Road Whitfield Turn to Brackley Hatch Dualling: Initial Archaeological Evaluation, p.9-10 (checked) (Report). SNN63073.

<3> 2000-01, A43 Dualling Project, Whitfield, Brackley Hatch, (unchecked) (Note). SNN103983.

<4> SHAW M., 1993-4, Whitfield, p.187 (checked) (Note). SNN104193.

<5> MUDD A., 2002, A43 Towcester to M40 Dualling Project Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design, 2002, p.17 (checked) (Report). SNN103239.

<6> MUDD A., 2007, Iron Age and Roman Settlement on The Northamptonshire Uplands, Brackley Hatch 4/p. 66-71 (Series). SNN106027.

Record last edited

Feb 3 2025 8:07PM