Monument record 3856/0/1 - Iron Age, Roman and medieval ditches

A ditched enclosure of uncertain date, with post holes and a pit, revealed by building operations off Weavers Road during 1969. Iron Age, Romano British and Saxon pottery were found. Also a fragment of a human skull was found in one of the ditches.

{1}Observations during building development in 1967 by P. Foster; 20 ditches were planned, some of which were field ditches; pottery was found dating from the 4th and 5th centuries BC, late 1st and early 2nd century AD; one was a limestone packed gully with Saxon wares; there was medieval pottery from the overlying field system; a fragment of human skull and a flint was also found.

{2} Mr Harper, 50 Weavers Road, Wellingborough a member of the Wellingborough and District Archaeological Society, who first found this site at SP 8795 6754 said that further finds of the above type have been made and are in his possession. Site now built over.

{4} A medieval field ditches and a number of Roman ditches were spread over a large area and are not shown on the site plan.
Ditch A-not excavated. Ditch seen running fairly straight for 50m. Features seen in plan projecting from the side of the ditch could be quarry pits. Pottery from shallow cuttings in the top of the ditch with its junction with one of features produced the earliest pottery found on site The small group of rim and body sherds dated to between 300 and 400 BC, but not known if they were from the ditch or feature.
Ditch B- A substantial ditch, some 1.80m deep, yet narrower than Ditch A. One section revealed a uniform brown fill. No dating evidence
Ditch C. Curving ditch 20m north of ditch A. Different allignment to A. Width 2m. No sections excavated. A few sherds of hand made Iron Age pottery kept from surface.
Ditch D. Seen for a few metres. Was between ditches A and C. One body sherd of Iron Age Pottery.
The area had 20 ditches in all from four periods. A number had no dating evidence.

{9} SP 8796 6750: At least four major ditches up to 8 feet wide, a number of post holes and one pit, were found during building operations. Pottery recovered includes hand made Iron Age, Samian and surface finds of Saxon ware. A fragment of a human skull was found in one of the ditches.

There is a good chance that some of these ditches were middle Iron Age from this possible settlement.

{8} SP 879 676: Ditched enclosure revealed by building operations off Weavers Road during 1969. Iron Age and Romano British pottery found including a small piece of Samian. Potsherds in possession of Mr Dix.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP86NE25 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<2> Northamptonshire Archaeology, 7/8 (Journal). SNN58564.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.168 (Series). SNN77380.

<4> Foster P.J.; Harper R., 1975, Two Iron Age Sites near Wellingborough: A. Weavers Road, p.138-142 (unchecked) (Article). SNN40029.

<5> FOSTER P., SITE NOTES, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN48321.

<6> 1972, SITE RECORDS, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN57392.

<7> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey: Portfolios (Archive). SNN113224.

<8> Baird, J., 1970, Field investigators comments, F1 JB 26-AUG-70 (Notes). SNN110341.

<9> DIX B., ORAL REPORT TO SMR, B Dix (Oral) Kettering Grammar School AS (Uncertain). SNN50651.

Record last edited

Feb 6 2023 3:39PM