Monument record 3141/1/5 - Romano-British Road Earthwork

Earthwork causeway of probable Romano-British road recognised in 1976.

{1} The agger was visible an an earthwork for a maximum of 44m, the earthwork was between 11-14m wide. The north end had been disturbed by the disused railway, and no evidence remained of the route northwards.
The agger consisted of brown loam up to 0.45cm thick with no trace of a turf line beneath the gravel road surface. The agger had been covered by a layer of gravel metalling surviving to no more than 0.15m thick. The S end of the agger sloped gently down from a maximum height of 0.25m above ground level until it petered out c15m north of where the metalled road surface commenced.
The surface character of the metalled road was slightly different towards its northern end, with the inclusion of a greater percentage of more angular fragments of limestone, some of which had been set on edge. A 2.5m wide spread of more level limestone slabs had been laid to the south of this.
Despite minor variations in surface composition the surface of the road was relatively even falling at 100mm along its 25m length.
The trial excavation of July 1989 by OAU demonstrated that the limear earthwork was a causeway for a road with gravel metalling. Palaeuchannels were crossed by stone-laid fords. The date was unproven but likely to be Romano-British in origin with later use during the Saxon and/or medieval periods.

{2} A causeway across the flood plain of the Nene towards Irchester Roman town was recognised in May 1976. The 'bank' was clearly visible because white cow parsley was growning along its whole length. The feature is approximately 0.5m high and 10m wide and is overlain by both the modern and disused railway embankments. It is of course possible that it relates to ironstone quarrying, but a Roman date seems likely as the causeway runs directly towards the east gate of the Roman town. An incomplete section cut by the Wellingborough Archaeological Society in Autumn 1976 showed the feature is constructed of ironstone derived soil containing worked flint and a single Roman sherd lying upon alluvium, which itself lies upon gravel at a depth of approx. 1m. Further alluvium also appears to partly overlie the edges of the causeway. However no distinct surfacing was recognised.

{3} Plan: 25 inch paced plan NCC 2212/1.

{4} In 1994 OAU excavated a 60m length of Roman road c500m to the north of the Roman town of Irchester. The northern part of the road, had been built on a 12m wide 0.6m high earth agger. To the south the agger sloped down to the contemporary Roman ground level, where it continued as an 11 m wide limestone and ironstone mettled surface. A sequence of drainage ditches, c15 to 20m apart, to either side of the road, ran the entire length of the excavated area. Roman in date but failed to determine its actual date of construction.

{5} Excavation in Autumn 1976 by Wellingborough Archaeological Society. An incomplete section was cut through the earthwork. It showed that the feature was composed of ironstone-derived soil containing worked flints and a Romano-British pot sherd was found lying on the alluvium with gravel at a depth of c.1m. Further alluvium appeared to overlie the edges of the causeway. No distinct surfacing was recognised. Possibly part of a Romano-British road.

{7} NCCAP:SP9167/001-3.

{10} The possible Roman causeway described above was mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project from lidar imagery and aerial photographs.

<1> Keevill G.D.; Williams R.J., 1995, The Excavation of A Roman Road & A Medieval Causeway at Ditchford Pit, Wellingborough, p.55-6 (checked) (Article). SNN75823.

<2> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1977, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1976, p.231 (checked) (Report). SNN723.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP96NW19 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<4> Horne, B (Editor), 1995, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (25), p.47 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN100611.

<5> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1977, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1976, p.231 (unchecked) (Report). SNN723.

<6> Moore, J., 1992, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN48829.

<7> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<8> Keevill G.D., 1991, Evaluations and Excavations in Northamptonshire by The Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1989-90 (Ditchford and Stanwick), p.99 (checked) (Article). SNN62113.

<9> Lawrence S., 2000, Ditchford Sand And Gravel Quarry, Ditchford, Northants - Archaeological Watching Brief Report, p.3 (checked) (Report). SNN100491.

<10> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 8:07PM