Monument record 366 - Blackgrounds, Small Romano-British Town

Blackgrounds is a large multi period settlement near Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire, originally established in the Middle to Late Iron Age and later developing into a small Roman town. The site is defined by its long term occupation, with Iron Age roundhouses and trackways giving way to Roman buildings, roads and industrial areas. Past archaeological work at Blackgrounds spans over two centuries with early discoveries in the 19th century recorded Roman walls, a bath house, pottery, coins and burials in fields around Blackgrounds Farm, establishing the area as a likely Romano British settlement. Subsequent surveys identified extensive cropmarks, rectilinear enclosures, and annular features that confirmed occupation spread across multiple fields and hinted at both Iron Age and Roman activity beyond the known villa remains (366/2). The most substantial modern work was undertaken for the HS2 project. Initial geophysical surveys and trial trenching demonstrated significant buried remains, leading to large scale excavation by MOLA Headland Infrastructure. These investigations revealed part of a major Iron Age agglomerated settlement continuing into a Roman small town, with structural remains, roads, working areas and a broad assemblage of artefacts spanning both periods.

{2} The suggested name for this site of "Brinavis" could simply be a name taken from a possibly forged Roman itinerary

{3} At Chipping Warden there exist considerable traces of Roman buildings half a mile E of the village. Only one building has been actually excavated - a detached bath house 36' by 18' found in 1848 close to the water in a field known as "Caldwiths". Remains of walls have also been noticed in the adjoining fields to the N known as "Blackgrounds". Samian, Nene valley ware and other potsherds and small objects have been picked up and still abound, over a large area. An urn with human bones was found in 1826, and in 1849 four skeletons were found. Numerous Roman coins have been found ranging from Domitian but predominantly 250-390. The place has frequently been called the site of a Romano-British town and the name Brinavis has been ascribed to it. But the remains hitherto discovered do not justify us in supposing more than a villa, perhaps with extensive outbuildings. Saxon sceattas have also been found here, as well as three IA coins;

{5} Probably not taken forward for assessment as a Romano-British urban settlement.

{6} To the south-west extensive Roman remains also exist at Blackgrounds Farm which may be part of a small town. Fieldwork has indicated a possible villa within the complex, communications links, industrial activity and a cemetery. Roman coins were found by metal detector, east of Welsh Road, close to the projected line of the Roman road.

{7} The published site of this Ro building falls in a sloping pasture field called 'Ludwell". There are no surface indications of an excavation to be seen but, as described above, the two fields to the N are both called 'Black Grounds'. 'Caldwith' field is NE and here a stone lined well at SP512483 is probably Roman. Stone and Ro pottery is scattered in the plough in both fields about SP 5115 4830, and Mr P Boonham of Blackgrounds Cottage has seven unclassified bronze Roman coins from the area.

{8} Geophysical survey ahead of HS2 found evidence of complex archaeological remains particularly across the two southern fields surveyed. The larger enclosures were located in Field 2 around the centre of the potential settlement. There was a lower concentration of features to the north with the majority of the anomalies being formed of annular enclosures, possibly indicative of Iron Age or Bronze Age activity.

{9} Fieldwalking survey ahead of HS2 was conducted over three fields to the east and north-east of Blackgrounds Farm. A significant quantity of Romano-British pottery was heavily concentrated in the southernmost of the three fields [within the known area of the settlement]. A large quantity of grog-tempered and shelly wares may indicate that the Romano-British activity was preceded by a phase of Iron Age settlement. Romano-British building material, also concentrated in the southern field, may indicate the presence of a building, although this may have spread from the adjacent villa site.

{10} Map of site and plan of bathhouse;

{12} Headland Archaeology undertook excavation between December 2022 - June 2023. The excavations revealed evidence of Roman occupation and probable industrial activity, representing the outskirts or edge of the larger Blackgrounds settlement. Provisional dating of the artefactual assemblage recovered broadly dates activity in this area to the Roman period. Post-Roman land use is indicated through stone drains and land drains associated with agriculture and pastureland use. The Roman activity is characterised by four partial structures, a series of metalled surfaces, a network of water management ditches, a number of pits and a series of peat deposits. Also, previous works in this area led to speculations of a possible river crossing related to the potential Roman trackway. No evidence of such a crossing was discovered during the current works. The structures found within the excavation were broadly similar in their mode of construction although levels of preservation were varied. Structures recorded to the north and north-west of the area had a similar state of survival with only the structural foundations remaining. These could represent the stone footings for timber frames, which could have formed the superstructure of the building. Evidence of wooden posts or stakes and preserved timbers found internally of some structures, could suggest the possibility of supporting timber structures associated with these structural remains. The presence of large quantities of leather overlaps with the evidence for industrial and craft workshops and activity located in the north-west. This could suggest that leatherworking was a key industry at Blackgrounds. Iron and metal working was also represented through the artefactual assemblage. These finds point to a possible continuation of blacksmithing activity that can be seen in the north-west in a blacksmith workshop comprised of an oven/smith and working area. These objects may have been produced in the ‘industrial area’ or may represent a widespread use of metal across the town. A number of possible refuse pits were scattered across the site and may indicate evidence of waste disposal associated with industrial activity from the structures in the north-west corner. The valley area of Blackgrounds appeared to have a constant requirement for long term water management systems. Therefore, a network of drainage ditches were found on site. These water management systems suggest an effort to stabilise ground and control water for ease of access to buildings and structures to continue industrial and crafting activities.

{13} Headland Archaeology undertook excavations between 13th and 28th April 2023. The works targeted two areas, C31081 and C31073, toward the western edge of
Blackgrounds Roman settlement, to the north of the Spinney Brook, a small tributary to the River Cherwell. C31081 was located on the south-western periphery of the Blackgrounds Roman Settlement. Excavation identified four pits and a short length of ditch. The pits contained small quantities of animal bone and pottery dating to the late Iron Age and early Roman transition and the Roman period, with one pit producing the largest assemblage indicating a mid-2nd century AD date. The ditch represented a continuation of a linear feature previously identified during earlier excavations to the north-east but was truncated at its south western end by modern disturbance. The results indicate limited and short-lived use of C31081, likely related to boundary management or minor activity on the margins of the wider Roman settlement rather than intensive occupation. C31073 was a small excavation area which preserved remains dating from the Late Iron Age to the Roman period on the western periphery of the Blackgrounds Settlement. The earliest phase comprised a dense system of intercutting boundary ditches and pits dating to the late 1st Century BC to early 1st century AD, including a large curvilinear enclosure subdivided by smaller internal ditches, interpreted as land division associated with agricultural or stock management activity. These features were sealed by a widespread levelling deposit ('dark earth') indicating a period of ground raising prior to later development. Overlying this deposit were substantial Roman structural remains, including stone wall foundations forming parts of rectilinear buildings, surfaces and a stone-lined well deliberately backfilled in or after mid-4th century AD. The evidence from C31073 shows a shift from early land‑division and agricultural use to later Roman structural and domestic occupation, with activity continuing until the mid‑4th century AD and the well’s closure marking the latest securely dated event.


{14} Part of a significant Iron Age agglomerated site and part of a later small Roman town were excavated at Blackgrounds Central and East between 2021 and 2022. The works revealed part of a large Iron Age agglomerated settlement together with the eastern extent of a later Roman small town. The earliest activity comprised a late Mesolithic/early Neolithic deposit containing worked lithics and animal bone, which had been truncated by later features. Two areas of middle to late Iron Age settlement were identified. The first lay on the southern periphery of the Blackgrounds North settlement and included roundhouses and repeatedly re-established enclosure ditches. The second was located east of a tributary of the River Cherwell and was characterised by waste pits indicative of textile working, a four post structure, short-lived boundary ditches, and a stone lined pit containing a crouched inhumation. Later Iron Age activity shifted south-eastwards, represented by two repeatedly modified oval livestock enclosures and several quarry pits. Late Iron Age/early Roman activity included a possible ring ditch, a cremation deposit, segmented ditches and extensive gravel extraction associated with the establishment of east-west road MR1, accompanied by a building, walling, and rectilinear enclosures with further cremations and pits. Early Roman occupation focused on the consolidation of MR1 and MR6 and the construction of stone-built workshops, enclosures, forges, wells, and routeways. A large industrial zone developed, incorporating multiple workshops and possible waterside structures or a jetty. Numerous infant and adult inhumations and cremations formed distinct burial groups around MR6 and across central and south eastern parts of the area.The middle Roman period represented the most intensive phase of development. Works included the widening and continued maintenance of MR1, the construction of new enclosure systems, multiple minor routeways, a cistern, additional domestic buildings, metalworking structures, and further riverside consolidation, including another probable jetty. Burials formed part of the expanding western cemetery and occurred in clusters around domestic structures. Late Roman activity showed continued consolidation of the road system, with roadside workshops containing kilns, repeated associations of wells with industrial activity, and domestic complexes with multiple phases of construction and yard surfaces. An industrial area with furnaces and extraction pits developed, and extensive stone drainage indicated a decline in the usability of the waterfront. Funerary activity included the final phases of the western cemetery and the creation of a defined cemetery north of MR1 containing both adults and children, some with grave goods of mixed date.The final phases comprised widespread demolition deposits across the area, followed by a small group of undated but stratigraphically late Saxon or medieval pits. Blackgrounds represents one of the most significant excavations of a small town in the county. The Iron Age agglomerated sites here comprised a dense concentration of settlement foci forming a large and complex area of occupation. Such sites are uncommon in Northamptonshire, with approximately ten postulated across the county. Although the full extent of the Iron Age agglomeration is not yet known, current evidence suggests that Blackgrounds may be among the largest examples recorded. By the end of the late Iron Age, activity in the Blackgrounds North area had been abandoned. Activity within Blackgrounds Central (C31059A and B) then comprised peripheral enclosures and increasingly intensive industrial activity, which ultimately developed into a small Roman town. The Roman town consisted of activity that was dominated by craft and industrial workshops with associated working areas, particularly in the southwest and central parts of C31059B. This activity developed in the late Iron Age/early Roman period and likely continued into the early 5th century. Blackgrounds was the only Roman small town in Northamptonshire which has been archaeologically proven to have continuity from a significant Iron Age settlement. As a whole, the Blackgrounds site has the potential to make a notable contribution to overall knowledge of towns in the county.

<1> Ward, M.; Foard, G., 1981, Chipping Warden metal detector survey, (unchecked) (Correspondence). SNN106088.

<2> RIVET A.L.F., TOWN & COUNTRY IN ROMAN BRITAIN, 21 (unchecked) (Note). SNN47324.

<3a> Morton J., 1712, The Natural History of Northamptonshire, p. 526 (Book). SNN10113.

<3c> Beesley J., 1841, History of Banbury, p. 27 (Book). SNN280.

<3b> 1850, Journal of The British Archaeological Association (Vol.5), p. 83/168 (Journal). SNN10347.

<3> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.200 (checked) (Series). SNN100368.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP54NW1 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<6> Clements P., 2010, An Archaeological Watching Brief at Welsh Road, Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire 2010, p.1 (checked) (Report). SNN107217.

<7> Seaman, B H, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 BHS 21-APR-70 (Notes). SNN111541.

<8> Smith, J, 2016, Geophysical Survey Report: CS034 Land at Wills Estate, Edgcote, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN112290.

<9> Cassels, A and Laverick, J, 2016, Fieldwalking Survey Report: CS034 Land at Wills Estate, Edgcote, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN112289.

<10> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/284/1,4 (Archive). SNN115.

<11> High Speed Two Ltd, MOLA Headland Infrastructure, 2023, Data from Trial Trenching at Blackgrounds Farm, Edgcote Viaduct and Edgcote Cutting, Northamptonshire, 2018-2022 (HS2 Phase One), https://doi.org/10.5284/1119752 (Digital archive). SNN116592.

<12> Robyn Tranter, 2024, Fieldwork Report for Construction Integrated Recording at C31072 Blackgrounds Farm Northamptonshire (Report). SNN116689.

<13> Kate Bain and Beth Darroch-Bartley, 2025, Fieldwork Report for Construction Integrated Recording at C31073 and C31081 Blackgrounds Farm Northamptonshire (Report). SNN116979.

<14> Rachel Clare, 2023, Post-Excavation Assessment Report for Archaeological Recording at Blackgrounds East and Central Northamptonshire AC310 Site Code: 1C20BLGAR (Report). SNN116993.

Record last edited

Feb 27 2026 11:30AM