Find Spot record 5252/0/0 - Unstratified Prehistoric & Romano-British Finds

{1} Upper Darsdale (East), Site 34(a) (TL00257105): 17 flints recovered from an area of c.1ha. A small flint concentration has been identified above the eastern cropmarks. Whilst the concentration is mostly made up of regular debitage with a slightly greater density than the surrounding area, four scrapers form a small group. No other implements were found.
No Iron Age pottery was found on this site, though this does not preclude an early origin for the cropmarks here.
Small quantities of predominantly early Roman pottery have been found associated with cropmarks in areas with otherwise sparse distributions at Upper Darsdale (both eastern and western complexes ie. Mons 1342 & 5252), where they might suggest limited activity during the first and second centuries.
The distinction between the two groups of cropmarks persists into the Roman period. Only four sherds were found over the eastern cropmarks, although a small concentration c.165m to the north-east may attest to some activity in the early-middle period. The western group (ie Mon 1342) has greater quantities of pottery, although still low when compared with other sites. The Roman material is mostly early, though occasional middle Roman pottery is present.
While the cropmarks on either side of the valley could denote settlement, the pottery concentrations are barely discernable above the more general scatters, making further interpretation and dating impossible.
The decline in settlement by the late Roman period appears to have been largely confined to the boulder clay plateau.

<1> Parry S. et al, 2006, Raunds Area Survey: An Archaeological Study of The Landscape of Raunds, Northamptonshire 1985-94, p.41+80-81+246 (checked) (Book). SNN105780.

Record last edited

Sep 9 2008 11:50AM