Monument record 3240 - Prehistoric to Middle Saxon Settlement, Wollaston Bypass

A multi period settlement and occupation site. Excavations in advance of the Wollaston Bypass uncovered a rectangular enclosure containing a Roman bath-house and a corn drying oven indicating the possible site of a villa. A Prehistoric pit alignment, and evidence of Anglo-Saxon settlement in the form of pottery and Grubenhauser were also uncovered.

{1} Roman sherds, stone and tile found at SP 904625 in Wollaston parish (from context a surface scatter).

{5} Mr Hall said large lumps of building stone, Castor and Samian ware, and tegulae were found in the plough indicating a probable villa site at SP 90326254. At present under crop; perambulation was not possible. Although this is said to be a possible villa no tesserae have been found {4}.

{7} A watching brief and salvage excavations were carried out in late 1984 during topsoil stripping prior to the construction of a bypass running to the west of Wollaston. The earliest features comprised a pit alignment and linear ditch, both undated but earlier than the RB settlement. The corner of a rectangular enclosure was recovered. Building debris appeared to have been deliberately dumped into the ditches, this was most apparent on the eastern side of the road corridor. The building debris comprised fragments and blocks of roughly squared limestone and tile fragments, the associated pottery was C4th, with some residual C2nd. The form of the 2nd-3rd century occupation is unknown, since the main enclosure ditches were maintained for some time, it is possible that the ditched enclosure was in use at this time.
Within the enclosure was part of a bath house. It comprised most of a furnace room, and part of a plunge bath presumably attached to a hot room. Only the north west corner of the hot room and plunge bath lay within the excavation area.
A further two ditches can be interpreted as drainage ditches for the bath house.
To the north of the bath house was a T-shaped corn-drying oven constructed in limestone, the main flue being 3.1m long and 0.55m wide at the opening into the flue sides, which were 0.25m and 0.3m wide. The southern side of the flue had been disturbed by an adult inhumation burial, which was undated but may be assumed to be of later Roman date.
The upper fill of the Romano-British ditches also contained a scatter of Anglo-Saxon pottery and a sunken featured building. Immediately outside the enclosure a scatter of 6th and 7th century pottery was found.

{8} Excavation during bypass construction in 1984 revealed rectangular enclosure, within which lay a bath house of 3rd to 4th century date.

{10} NH 119 Listed as the possible site of a Roman villa.

{11} This area was assessed as part of the Bedford Borough NMP aerial survey project. No features as described above were visible on any of the available aerial photographs.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP96SW6 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<3> Hall D.N., 1966, Sites on the North Bedfordshire and South Northamptonshire border, p.6 (Article). SNN37934.

<4> Moore W.R.G., 1968, Roman Settlement in the Upper and Middle Nene Valley, p.73 (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN15188.

<5> Seaman, B H, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 BHS 4-AUG-70 (Notes). SNN111541.

<6> 1976, Site Records, (checked) (Notes). SNN57355.

<7> Chapman A.; Jackson D.A., 1992, Wollaston Bypass: Salvage Excavations, 1984, p.69-72 (checked) (Article). SNN75295.

<8> Dix B.(ed), 1985, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1983-4, p.152 Wollaston (checked) (Report). SNN100404.

<9> Frere, S S, Hassall, M W C, and Tomlin, R S O, 1985, Roman Britain in 1984, p. 288 (Note). SNN114169.

<10> Scott, E., 1993, A gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain, p. 148, NH 119 (Monograph). SNN110345.

<11> 2018-2019, RCHME/EH/HE Aerial Photographers comment, Bedford Borough NMP project, Steve Crowther, Aerial Archaeology Specialist, Skylarkeology- Bedford Borough NMP project (Note). SNN111578.

Record last edited

Feb 7 2025 2:36PM