Monument record 1312/1 - Roman farmstead at North Lodge

A site discovered by the farmer in the 1950s/1960s and subsequently investigated by the Middle Nene Archaeological Group. In 1973 a bath house was uncovered and in the 1980s a building, 13.2m by 3.6m, with two phases of construction was found. The first phase consisted of an open aisled barn with a north wall 1.2m thick. In the 3rd century a south wall, furnace and hypocaust were added, the floor of which consisted of limestone under-packing covered with a layer of opus signinum and tiles. Immediately west of the building was a pit 17m by 7.0 m by 4.0m deep. Analysis of the clay from the pit edge indicated that it had been used for the manufacture of tiles which abounded on the site. Coins, brooches and pottery date the site to the 3rd-4th centuries. Cropmarks of ditched enclosures have been identified on aerial photographs and geophysical survey undertaken in 2023 has refined the understanding of the settlement.

{1} Fieldwalking of the site was undertaken initially in 1953 by T. Litchfield. Finds of Romano-British pottery, bricks, stone and a coin of Constantinus; TL075837. Further fieldwalking was undertaken in 1969; Roman pottery, stone and tile were found at TL07438368;

{3} Fieldwalking undertaken prior to 1971; Roman pottery and tiles, stone scatter and building material and late 3rd century to early 4th century pottery and bricks;

{4} Minor research excavation by Middle Nene Archaeology Group & Prince William School, 1973, in response to plough damage. 3rd-4th Century stone foundations overlying timber buildings. Large timber revetted pit filled with 2nd Century material suggested as source of clay for tiles. Stone slates recovered.
Pottery suggests 1st phase of building dates to late 2nd Century. Final phase comprises mid-3rd Century stone building with tile floor on opus signium; hypocaust with covered stoke hole. Excavated element forms part of larger complex.

(5)A magnetometer survey was undertaken over the area of the supposed Roman settlement. There were two areas of heavy anomalies and several curvilinear features; possibly ditches. One anomaly relates to a later clay pit. The survey did not detect any buildings.
The initial excavations concentrated on one of the areas of high anomaly. Finds include Roof Tiles, Box Tile & Floor Tile; colour-coated pottery. Waterlogged pit produced twigs, wheat straw and grasses, imported molluscs, leaves, seeds, insects & molluscs & oak posts with adze & saw marks. Animal Bone of cattle & pig. 3rd-4th Century coins, brooches, glass, iron knives, painted wall plaster. Plan

{6} Excavation begun in 1973 by the Middle Nene Arch Group and Prince William School, Oundle, directed by Hadman and Upex, revealed a building, 13.2m by 3.6m, with two phases of construction. The first consisted of an open barn with a north wall 1.2m thick. In the 3rd century a south wall, furnace and hypocaust were added, the floor of which consisted of limestone under-packing covered with a layer of opus signinum and tiles. Immediately west of the building was a pit 17m by 7.0 m by 4.0m deep. Analysis of the clay from the pit edge indicated that it had been used for the manufacture of tiles which abounded on the site. Coins, brooches and pottery date the site to the 3rd-4th centuries. Further excavations planned.

{9} Excavation undertaken in 1973 and 1985-8. The earliest features were two ditches dating to the late 1st-early 2nd century, one of which contained a piece of military scale armour. During the mid 2nd century the site underwent large scale reorganisation and an aisled building was set out parallel to a substantial north-south aligned ditch. A possible yard was created to the west and a two large pits were dug. In subsequent phases further pits were dug, the aisled building was extended and the yard to the west was formalised with a limestone surface and bounded on the western side by a limestone wall and then later, during the mid 3rd-early 4th century, a small bath suite was added to the northern end of the building. The stone foundations of the bath contained a coin of Gallienus (260-268 AD). The foundations for the bath were constructed from limestone. The new building had to be underpinned as it encroached on one of the large pits- four wooden piles were driven into the pit and planks laid behind them and the area behind the planking filled with clay and then packed with limestone.
The aisled building and bath were demolished at some time in the late 4th or very early 5th century.

Four postholes set within the former south-western corner of the building may have been a fenceline and dated to the Saxon period (5th-5th centuries).

{12}18 coins and 8 bronze objects found 1980. Most of the coins are 3-4th century date and are bronze apart from one silver denarius. Objects include a bow and fantail brooch and a fine oval gilded disc brooch, with a central set conical stone.

{14}Excavated building probably only an outbuilding of a larger complex. Trial excavation in 1973 and surface scatter produced Roman masonary, brick, tiles, painted plaster, hypocaust, stone and timber buildings and pottery of the third and forth centuries.

{19} Mr H Litchfield, the farmer who is a keen local historian, made the discovery. He also has a coin of Constantinus (AD 330) from here. Debris as noted above are evident in the plough at the reference given above {1}.

{26} Geophysical survey undertaken in 2023 indicate multiple phases of activity within the settlement and suggesting a greater level of complexity than suggested by the cropmarks.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, TL08SE3 (Index). SNN443.

<2> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Prehistoric), p. 6 (Article). SNN75790.

<3> Brown, A E (ed), 1971, Bulletin of the Northamptonshire Federation of Archaeological Societies, 5/6 (Journal). SNN13960.

<4> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.12/Site 3 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<5> Nene Valley Research Committee, 1974, Durobrivae: A Review of Nene Valley Archaeology (Vol.2), p.27-8 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN5758.

<6> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1974, Archaeology In Northamptonshire 1973, 9/86 (Article). SNN9109.

<7> 1974, Britannia, 5/434 (Journal). SNN58444.

<8> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.185/Site 3 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77382.

<9> Upex, S G, 2015, A Roman farmstead at North Lodge, Barnwell: Excavations 1973-1988 (Article). SNN110666.

<10> Nene Valley Research Committee SMR Records (Index). SNN4499.

<11> Unknown, Unknown, An Index of Sites Excavated in Northamptonshire (Typescript). SNN111905.

<12> Brown A.E.(ed), 1982, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1981, p101 Barnwell (Journal). SNN100413.

<13> WHITWELL J.B., 1982, The Coritani: Some Aspects of the Iron Age Tribe and the Roman Civitas, 190 (Monograph). SNN58533.

<14> Brown A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Roman), 6 (Article). SNN58198.

<15> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1967, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1966/67 (Roman), 7 (Article). SNN58197.

<16> Young S., 1994, Fieldwalking Survey of Romano-British Sites, (checked) (Gazetteer). SNN54726.

<17> 1987, The Archaeological Journal (144), p. 442 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN103783.

<18> Annotated Record Map, M Urwick Smith 1953, Corr 6" (Map). SNN112961.

<19> Seaman, BH, 1969, Field investigators comments, F1 BHS 05-SEP-69 (Notes). SNN111907.

<20> Scott, E., 1993, A gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain, p. 140, NH 10- 11 (Monograph). SNN110345.

<21> Frere, S S, Hassall, M W C, and Tomlin, R S O, 1987, Roman Britain in 1986, p. 324 (Note). SNN113028.

<22> Frere, S S, Hassall, M W C, and Tomlin, R S O, 1988, Roman Britain in 1987, p.450-2 (Note). SNN113030.

<23> Frere, S S, Hassall, M W C, and Tomlin, R S O, 1989, Roman Britain in 1988, p. 290 (Note). SNN113029.

<24> Frere, S S, Hassall, M W C, and Tomlin, R S O, 1974, Roman Britain in 1973, p.434 (Note). SNN113032.

<25> Frere, S S, Hassall, M W C, and Tomlin, R S O, 1990, Roman Britain in 1989, p.332 (Note). SNN113031.

<26> Jenkins, B & Evershed, R, 2023, Archaeological evaluation report: Geophysical survey by magnetometry on land off Hemington Road, Barnwell, Northamptonshire, https://doi.org/10.5284/1119535 (Report). SNN115402.

Record last edited

Jul 23 2024 4:15PM