Monument record 617/0/1 - Middle Iron Age and late Iron Age/Roman settlement, south of Welton Place Farm

A scatter of Roman finds, including pottery, roof tile and querns, were found during fieldwalking survey. Geophysical survey undertaken in 2013 identified probable archaeological features and subsequent archaeological evaluation found several ditches of Roman date and a few finds suggestive of a nearby high-status settlement. To the west was a small rectilinear enclosure. However, much of the area of settlement identified by the geophysical survey could not be accessed due to the presence of a badger sett. Further evaluation undertaken in 2019 confirmed that settlement activity was concentrated in the north-eastern part of the site, comprising enclosures, trackways and pits, with peripheral activity to the south-west. The earliest activity appears to date to the middle Iron Age, but permanent settlement seems to have begun in the late Iron Age/Roman period.

{1} Late Roman pottery, roof tiles, tufa fragments and a quernstone.

{2} (SP 57556548) Shelly and colour-coated wares and limestone debris including painted tufa voussoirs, indicate a probable villa site, occupation extends over one hectare.

{3} Geophysical survey identified a number of linear and curvi-linear positive anomalies indicative of former cut features, probably of archaeological origin. The area of cut features correlates with a number of Romano-British finds identified here previously. To the west was a broken positive rectilinear anomaly. This is probably related to a former ditched enclosure.

{4} Trial trench excavation identified a small number of ditches sealed by the subsoil, with at least two producing Roman fine wares, fragments of an unusual shale vessel and ceramic building material, including hypocaust flue tile. The presence of this material hints at the presence of high-status settlement in the near vicinity, possibly in the area of the badger sett to the north. The presence of either spelt or emmer wheat, albeit in low quantities, suggest crop processing was being carried out in the vicinity. Parallel ditches of a probable former trackway extended westwards from the area of settlement, although no dating evidence was recovered from either ditch. To the west, one of the ditches of the rectilinear enclosure was identified. The single fill produced several undated fragments of fired clay. The morphology of the feature is redolent of small enclosed sub-rectangular enclosures of late Iron Age date in this area.

{5} Further trial trench evaluation in 2019 confirmed the presence of late Iron Age/Roman archaeology, with settlement located in the north-eastern part of the site and likely extending beyond the north-eastern boundary of the evaluated area. The evaluation also identified evidence of middle to late Iron Age activity concentrated around Trench 96.

<1> Hall D.N., 1979, Oral Report to SMR, (unchecked) (Oral Report). SNN107046.

<2> Grew, F O., Hassall, M W C., and Tomlin, R S O., 1980, Roman Britain in 1980: Sites explored, p. 372 (Note). SNN114203.

<3> Richardson, T., 2013, Geophysical Survey Report: Welton Place Farm, Daventry (Report). SNN111467.

<4> Kipling, R., 2014, An archaeological evaluation on land at Mickle Well Park, Daventry, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN111465.

<5> Cotswold Archaeology, 2019, Land at Mickle Well Park, Daventry, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation (Report). SNN111736.

<5> Cotswold Archaeology, 2022, Images and GIS data from an Archaeological Evaluation of Land at Mickle Well Park, Daventry, Northamptonshire, January to February 2019, https://doi.org/10.5284/1090467 (Digital archive). SNN112986.

<6> Crank, N. (Editor), 2020, South Midlands Archaeology (50), p. 79 (Journal). SNN112426.

Record last edited

Jan 31 2025 2:33PM