Monument record 1767/2/5 - Romano-British round house

{1} A roundhouse approximately 15m in diameter. Ridge-and-furrow cultivation had destroyed approximately 25% of the building. The structure was defined by an annular foundation and wall. The foundation consisted of a single course of pitched limestone in a trench 1.1m wide and 0.22m deep. Tabula masonry was laid on the foundation. Generally only a single course survived, but in places a second course was present. On the N side of the building this upper course appeared to be slightly misaligned. It is possible that this represented a second phase of the wall, but this could not be proved.
The roundhouse had opposed E and W doors. The E door was 1.7m wide and opened onto the Phase lIb courtyard (HER ref 1767/2/3). The W door was 2.2m wide and opened onto the smaller, new courtyard.
4 postholes were found at the centre of the roundhouse, forming a square. Three substantial post pads succeeded these. The position of a presumed fourth post pad had been removed by ridge and furrow cultivation. The posts would have supported the roof structure.
At least eleven postholes lay in a concentric ring approximately 2m inside the wall. Several other postholes may also have belonged to this ring. Further posts could have been removed by later features. While it is possible that these posts represent an earlier structural phase, it seems more likely that they are part of the support for the roundhouse roof.
The interior of the roundhouse appeared to be divided into three distinct zones. The NE quadrant was characterised by a complex sequence of drainage gullies. Most of the gullies only consisted of short lengths (2-3m). One, however, was almost 9 m long and was partially lined with limestone. It also lay immediately on the inside of wall, whereas most of the drains were 2-3m in from it. Some of the drains appeared to feed into a gully which was 1.2m wide and 0.25m deep, with a broad U profile. This feature ran NW from the roundhouse, and appeared to join an E-W ditch 1.7m wide and 0.7m deep with a broad U profile; the ditch flowed into a palaeochannel.
Drains were also found around parts of the W side of the structure. These, however, appeared to be continuous. Furthermore they were capped by a pavement, 1.5-1.7m wide, consisting of large limestone slabs laid against the face of the wall. The paving had been truncated to either side of the W entrance by the ridge-and-furrow.
These two distinct zones were separated by an area of hearths or ovens occupying the centre of the building. Many of these intercut, and it was clear that this sequence could have covered a substantial period of time. Some of the features were simply backfilled with midden-type deposits. Others were partially or wholly lined with clay. In at least two cases large limestone slabs were included in the fills. The slabs were thought to be part of the structure of an oven but TRM samples failed to produce dates, showing that the stones had not been heated in situ.
A drainage gully oriented E-W was found immediately S of the roundhouse. The gully was 0.72m wide and 0.4m deep, with a steep V profile and a flat base. It was filled with medium-large lumps of limestone. The drain was virtually in contact with the wall at one point and it is likely that some of the drains in the SW quadrant of the structure were fed into it.
A small courtyard lay to the W of the roundhouse. It consisted of a limestone pavement which continued for c.6m westward. The full extent of the layer to the N and S was difficult to determine, but it definitely continued for at least 3.5m to either side of the: W door of the roundhouse.

The evidence for internal zoning is of particular interest. The central area was clearly devoted to hearths and ovens. These were probably domestic in character, although they could perhaps have been used for small-scale agricultural or craft activities as well. The position of the hearths, and the disposition of the four principal posts, points to an opening in the centre of the roof. The E half of the structure was largely given over to open drains. The fills appeared to be highly organic, and during excavation it was felt that the drains may have carried cess out from the interior. It is at least possible that animals were sometimes tethered in the E half. Thus the roundhouse seems to have acted as house, kitchen and byre.

<1> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 1992, Redlands Farm, Stanwick: Site Narrative, p.47-50, 63-4 (checked) (Report). SNN69021.

<2> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 1992, Redlands Farm, Stanwick, Northamptonshire: Post-Excavation Assessment, (unchecked) (Report). SNN75157.

<3> Keevill G.D. & Booth, P., 1997, Settlement, sequence and structure: Romano-British stone-built roundhouses at Redlands Farm, Stanwick (Northants), and Alchester (Oxon) (Article). SNN111333.

Record last edited

Jan 9 2019 12:27PM