Monument record 818/1 - Iron Age/Romano-British Settlement, Toll Bar Road

Archaeological investigations along the route of the new Islip bypass in 1980-1 revealed part of an settlement spanning a period from the early-middle Iron Age to the later Roman period. Part of a probable Roman trackway was found. Geophysical survey and trial trench excavation immediately to the east identified a continuation of the settlement, including another possible trackway, ditched enclosures and possible ring ditches.

{1} Fieldwalking of the road corridor in December 1980 by D.Jackson. Romano-British pottery was recovered from the north-east corner of the field. Scatter did not extend into field to the north. The eastern limit was not determined. The south-west extent was determined by shallow quarries. Iron Age pottery was concentrated for 50m in the south-west corner of the field. Excavation during road construction in 1981 revealed two parallel ditches dating to the Iron Age/Romano-British period. Ditches flanking a probable trackway. The ditches where excavated were found to be less than 1m deep, and some had been recut several times, few of the excavated sections revealed any Roman material, the curved ditches in the central area were most certainly Iron Age in date.
The trackway was some 3.5m wide , the surviving metalling consisting of small pieces of limestone and gravel. On the east side it lay in a hollow way. Rim sherds were found and dated to a Pre-Belgic context.The plan also shows a number of ditches that ran parallel to the trackway so there may have been a planned enclosure system in association with the track. Few of the excavated sections yielded any Roman pottery and the curving ditches in the centre of the planned area, in particular, are almost certainly of Iron Age date.

{3} Islip by pass. By pass route scraped down to subsoil. Quantity of flints (30+) found walking along route,
especially in area of late Iron Age site excavated by the County Archaeology Unit.

{5} Dark area with burnt stone, decorated sherds, hand made and wheel made, many large sherds.

{7} Geophysical survey of the field to the east of the road identified further probable Iron Age/Roman features including another possible trackway, enclosures, possible ring ditches and areas of industrial activity.

{8} Trial trench excavation identified archaeological remains in all four trenches. The remains were more frequent and complex than that indicated by the geophysical survey. Pottery from the features dated from the Roman period.

<1> Jackson, D., 1982, An Iron Age and Roman Settlement at Islip, 17/91 (checked) (Article). SNN104572.

<2> JACKSON D., 1980, Oral Report to SMR, (checked) (Oral Report). SNN50771.

<3> Brown A.E.(ed), 1982, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1981, 17/99 (checked) (Journal). SNN100413.

<4> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, NCCAP:SP7761/001 (unchecked) (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<5> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, Islip/Site 7 (unchecked) (Database). SNN102279.

<6> RCHME, 1993, REPORT FORM, (checked) (Note). SNN60585.

<7> Brunning, E, 2016, Geophysical survey: Land at Toll Bar Road, Islip, Northants (Report). SNN112367.

<8> Michaels, T, 2018, Toll Bar Road, Islip, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation (Report). SNN112366.

Record last edited

Jan 31 2025 2:59PM