Monument record 1767 - Romano-British Settlement, Redlands Farm

Extensive area of Roman settlement comprising a villa and its wider hinterland excavated prior to gravel extraction in 1990. The earliest evidence predated the construction of the mill but was poorly defined. A single pit contained prehistoric beaker and worked flint. A large flint assemblage, found as residual pieces in later features, ranged in date from the Mesolithic to Bronze Age. There was no indication of any activity between the Bronze Age and the Roman period. The excavation revealed a two-room structure which was constructed during the first half of the 2nd century and may have functioned as a watermill [see HER 1767/2/1 for detail regarding the mill/villa]. Two leats appear to have drawn water from existing palaeochannels. There were two rectangular barns set within a system of ditched enclosures and field boundaries. The mill was subsequently converted into a villa with hypocaust and painted wall plaster and later a mosaic pavement was constructed. At this time a perimeter wall may have surrounded the villa, creating a courtyard in front of its main entrance. In addition, yards were provided for livestock and, possibly, for storage and craft activities. During the late 3rd to later 4th century there were other modifications to the villa and two roundhouses were constructed. Inside one a complex series of postholes, drains and hearth suggest a combined domestic and farming function. From the late 4th century parts of the villa ceased to function in their normal way [see HER 1767/3 for later use]. The villa has been preserved in situ.

{3} One hundred and forty nine flint artefacts were recovered from the excavated areas. The assemblage was dominated by unretouched flakes (approximately 78%). The diagnostic pieces ranged in date from Mesolithic to Bronze Age. Some of the Bronze Age material may be derived from the nearby ploughed-out round barrow.

{7} Oxford Archaeological Unit (OAU), now Oxford Archaeology, undertook archaeological evaluation and subsequent excavation during 1989-90. The work was undertaken ahead of proposed gravel extraction, but, during the course of the excavation, it was decided that the villa should be preserved in situ. As a consequence, the villa was not excavated to its lowest levels. Of the earliest activity at the site, therefore, little can be said. A pit truncated by one of the Roman barns contained Beaker pottery and worked flint. An assemblage of residual worked flint dated from the Mesolithic to Bronze Age periods and attested to some degree of activity on site. A possible posthole roundhouse was identified at the east end of the excavated area and may have been prehistoric or Roman but no dating evidence was recovered.
There was an apparent break in occupation until the Roman period, when a simple two-room building was built in the early 2nd century [see HER record 1767/2/1 for further detail]. This building may have functioned as watermill and the presence of two leats built of limestone may support this theory. The mill provided little evidence of domestic occupation. Two other structures, possibly barns, are both likely to date to the first half of the 2nd century and may have also had a domestic function. The barns were between 10.6m and 12m long and were both 6.2m wide with pitched stone foundations. Floors, where observed, were crude and no hearths were found. An iron swivel and chain, used to suspend a cauldron, was found close to one of the buildings.
The mill underwent structural changes between the second half of the 2nd to 3rd centuries to create a villa-type building and a precinct wall may have constructed, the field systems, originally comprising enclosures defined by ditches, were superseded by fields and yards largely enclosed by stone walls.
During the late 3rd to later 4th century, two roundhouses were constructed. One roundhouse was approximately 15m in diameter. Ridge-and-furrow cultivation had destroyed approximately 25% of the building. The structure was defined by an annular foundation and wall. The foundation consisted of a single course of pitched limestone in a trench 1.1m wide and 0.22m deep. Tabula masonry was laid on the foundation. Generally only a single course survived, but in places a second course was present. On the N side of the building this upper course appeared to be slightly misaligned. It is possible that this represented a second phase of the wall, but this could not be proved. The roundhouse had opposed E and W doors. It had a complex series of postholes, drains and hearths which suggested a combined domestic and farming function. The second roundhouse was c.9.5m in diameter. Its construction was highly distinctive. A circular hollow was dug into the earlier courtyard. A three-quarter annular foundation trench was then cut around the outer edge of the pit, with the ‘open’ side facing N. This gap was filled with a single course of very large limestone blocks. The pitched foundations were overlain by a single course of tabula limestone masonry, only surviving on the E side of the structure. The exterior face was carefully finished to give an even surface, but the interior face was uneven. The hollow area within the foundations was filled with pitched stones up to 0.3m deep. Another structure was built against a field boundary wall.


{9} Most of the faunal remains from Redlands Farm were from animals eaten in antiquity. The most common meat consumed was probably cattle, followed by lamb/mutton and some pork. A tarso-metatarsus of white-tailed eagle, a species extinct in Britain during most of the 20th century may have been a fairly common scavenger in the Roman period. A small dog radius may indicate the inhabitants were fairly wealthy.

<1> Moore, J., 1989, Stanwick, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Assessment March 1989, p.5 (checked) (Report). SNN43486.

<2> Moore, J., 1989, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN104807.

<3> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 1992, Redlands Farm, Stanwick: Site Narrative, p.51-2, 63 (checked) (Report). SNN69021.

<4> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 1992, Redlands Farm, Stanwick, Northamptonshire: Post-Excavation Assessment, (unchecked) (Report). SNN75157.

<5> Keevill G.D. & Booth, P., 1997, Settlement, sequence and structure: Romano-British stone-built roundhouses at Redlands Farm, Stanwick (Northants), and Alchester (Oxon) (Article). SNN111333.

<6> Keevill G.D., 1996, The reconstruction of the Romano-British villa at Redlands Farm, Northamptonshire (Article). SNN111334.

<7> Biddulph, E, Keevill, GD, & Scott, IR, 2002, Redlands Farm, Stanwick, Northamptonshire: The Roman Evidence, Volume 1: Text (Report). SNN114104.

<8> KeevillG, & Bradley, P, 1994, Redlands Farm, Stanwick, Northamptonshire: Redlands Farm, Stanwick, Northamptonshire: The Prehistoric Evidence: Post-Excavation Project Design (Report). SNN114105.

<9> S J M Davis, 1990, Animal Bones from the Roman Site Redlands Farm, Stanwick, Northamptonshire, 1990 Excavation (Report). SNN117159.

<10> Northamptonshire County Council, 1994, The Northamptonshire National Mapping Programme, SP9670_040 (Digital archive). SNN117168.

<11> Parry S., 1993, Raunds Area Survey Report, (checked) (Draft). SNN1175.

Record last edited

Oct 8 2026 3:06PM