Monument record 5298 - Late Iron Age/Roman settlement, south of Pipewell Road

Cropmarks of undated enclosures have been identified on aerial photographs. Archaeological evaluation, comprising geophysical survey and subsequent trial trench excavation, identified a more complex area of archaeological features than suggested by the cropmarks, including a D-shaped enclosure and internal features. Small quantities of late Iron Age and Roman pottery were recovered from the features.

{2} Geophysical survey identified a D-shaped enclosure and internal features. Subsequent trial trench exacavation identified ditches associated with the D shaped enclosure. The earliest feature was a pit that contained pottery dating to the late Iron Age-early Roman period. It is possible that further activity dating to this period has been substantially trunacted by later settlement and 19th-century quarrying. Roman settlement was defined by the D-shaped enclosure. When excavating the entrance to the enclosure, the presence of two phases was confirmed - a single pottery fragment from the upper fill dated to the 1st century AD. Two large pits that were within the internal area of the enclosure were excavated, no dating evidence was recovered. The presence of probable storage pits might indicate that the enclosure was for domestic purposes.

<1> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, NCCAP: SP8184/1-4 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<2> Claire McGlenn, 2015, Archaeological Field Evaluation: Gaultney Farm, Desborough (Report). SNN116407.

Record last edited

Nov 8 2024 10:24AM