Monument record 6481 - Possible Romano-British settlement, north-west of Redlands Farm

Archaeological investigations ahead of the construction of the A45 identified part of a Roman settlement. The settlement may have been located at a crossroads.

{1} Archaeological trial trench excavation ahead of development identified part of a Roman settlement. Stone buildings and enclosures of the Roman period are probably located at a road road junction. It is postulated that a road leaves the valley side road and runs across the valley bottom to a river crossing. Detailed results include the remains of footings of a stone building seen in trench 72. Pits and post holes were found close to the building. Evidence of more than one phase is shown by a ditch cutting through the corner of an enclosure and pit. A series of paddocks was revealed in trenches 73, 76 and 74. Trenches 66 and 67 indicate a hollow existed in the Roman period, later infilled by hillwash. Two gullies, a pit and the edge of another feature were also seen. A bank remains standing 0.355m high on the east side of one of the gullies.


{3} A watching brief was maintained during the construction of the A45, but only isolated features and finds were identified in this location. Unstratified Roman pottery ranged in date from the late first to fourth centuries AD. Two ditches were seen. The larger ditch, between 1.5m and 1.8m wide, was exposed for a length of 28m along a north east to south west alignment. It appears to respect the other ditch which ran perpendicular to its south west end and was traced for 5m across the width of the road corridor; it was 1.05m wide. Apeaprt from a small gully on the northern edge of the large ditch no other features were found. The larger ditch produced a substantial quantity of Roman pottery spanning the period from the 1st to late 3rd/ 4th centuries. Metal detecting at this location produced a bronze sestertius of Marcus Aurelius dateable to AD71.

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

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

<3> Parry S., 1995, Archaeological Investigations Along The Line Of The A45 Between Higham Ferrers And Stanwick, Northamptonshire 1994-5, (checked) (Report). SNN72409.

Record last edited

Jul 6 2026 11:54AM