Monument record 2766/1/1 - Roman burial, north of Perio Mill Farm

A Roman inhumation burial was found in 1964 in Staunch Close on Perio Mill Farm. The grave was oblong and lined with heavy stones, and the burial was of a female accompanied by three bracelets and a necklace. The fields immediately to the north, south and west of Perio Mill, particularly those centred TL 046926 (in which the grave was found) and TL 043824 (both under plough) and the garden north of the Mill have a heavy scatter of Nene Valley sherds also some flue and roofing tiles, possibly indicating the site of a villa. The centre of the concentration seem to be at about TL 043925.

{1} A stone-lined grave, found in 1964; it was orientated east-west and contained a female skeleton; associated with the body were three bronze bracelets and a bronze chain necklace, the lid of a Castor box, and a fragment of roulette decorated pottery.

{2} The 'dark circle' around the grave was seen from the air.

{4} Mr Bradshaw sites the grave to approximately TL 94539262, and the dark circle he saw round it. The 'old stone foundation' is only the remains of a farm bridge abutment. The fields immediately to the north, south and west of Perio Mill, particularly those centred TL 046926 (in which the grave was found) and TL 043824 (both under plough) and the garden north of the Mill have a heavy scatter of Nene Valley sherds also some flue and roofing tiles. The centre of the concentration seem to be at about TL 043925. Mr Bradshaw holds the ornaments from the burial.

{5} A Roman inhumation burial was found in 1964 in Staunch Close on Perio Mill Farm. The site is about 100 yards north of the Mill itself and the discovery was made, during normal field working, by Mr John Bradshaw, the farmer. The grave was oblong and lined with heavy stones, and the burial was of a female accompanied by three bracelets and a necklace (all bronze, bracelets, 2 twisted wire or strip, one strip; necklace, plain figure-of-eight links making a chain). The ornaments were probably foreign and might date to about 230 AD, but the burial was probably made in the 4th century, as it was accompanied also by Nene Valley ware. Other Nene Valley ware was found in the ground around the burial. Besides the burial Mr Bradshaw had noticed from the air in the same field a dark circle and had found an old stone foundation exposed in the bank of the Southwick Brook on the south side of the field. There is also another area rich in Nene Valley sherds about 100 yds to the SW.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Series). SNN77379.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, TL09SW17 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<3> Brown A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Roman), p. 17 (Article). SNN58198.

<4> GSL, 1970, Field Investigators Comments, F1 GSL 28-OCT-70 (Note). SNN112507.

<5> Litchfield, T, 1964, Romano-British internments at Perio Mill Farm, 31/7/1964 (Typescript). SNN59420.

Record last edited

Feb 6 2024 2:30PM