SNN102117 - Geophysical Survey Report 2002/32 Wootton

Wootton Village lies 4km to the south of Northampton town centre (NGR: SP 766 and SP 770 566)The two sites investigated by gradiometer survey lie in gently undulating pasture fields to the east of Wootton. A Roman villa enclosed within a 70m square ditch was uncovered during ground works for a housing development to the north of Area 1 and to the west of Area 2. Further Iron Age and Roman features, including settlement remains and inhumations, were revealed during excavations carried out by Northamptonshire Archaeology. Excavations carried out by Dennis Jackson in 1966 during the installation of a gad pipeline recovered burnt stone, roofing tiles, ditches and Roman pottery and coins in Area 1 (Chapman 2000). The aims of the survey were to locate and identify the nature and extent of any archaeological remains that may be present within two pre-defined areas of a proposed residential development. The work forms part of an archaeological assessment being undertaken on behalf of David Wilson Homes. The dataset recorded in Area 1 is dominated by responses from ridge and furrow features and interference from a gas pipe. Despite the disturbance archaeological type anomalies were identified. These comprised to possible circular enclosures and ditch anomalies that indicate possible field systems. In addition, two parallel linear anomalies could represent the course of a former road or trackway. The results in Area 2 exhibit a low level of background response punctuated by small and medium scale ferrous responses and areas of more extensive ferrous disturbance. There are few anomalies of archaeological interest and the interpretation of those that have been identified is tentative. Ridge and furrow were recorded in Area 2 but the responses were noticeably weaker than those in Area 1.