SNN106586 - Excavations at Priors Hall, Northamptonshire, 2006: An Iron Age and Romano-British Ironworking Complex

Excavations revealed evidence of a former late Iron Age industrial landscape. During the excavations nine well-preserved iron smelting furnaces were excavated dated to the late Iron Age. Preservation of these furnaces has enabled the traditional chronology of metallurgy during the late Iron Age-early Romano-British period to be challenged as well as allowing further elucidation of the techniques of early iron production in Britain. Prior to the industrial exploitation of the landscape, Priors Hall appears to have been visited by transient groups between the Mesolithic and early Bronze Age periods, with a sparse distribution of pits and re-used tree throws dating to these periods. It is likely that at this time the site would have been wooded with what is now known as Rockingham Forest extending across swathes of the landscape. It was the presence of woodland, along with the natural ironstone outcrops, that gave rise to an iron producing landscape form the late Iron Age onwards. There are over thirty iron smelting sites known in the present Rockingham Forest area. Only a few of these sites are thought to date to the late Iron Age, with many of the sites undated, making Priors Hall furnaces of some significance. During the late Iron Age there is little evidence for non-industrial activities at Priors Hall, especially within the immediate vicinity of the smelting sites, suggesting that there was distinct separation between industrial and non-industrial use of the landscape. Priors Hall appears to have been occupied from the late Iron Age into the early Romano-British period. However, the nature of its transition from an industrial landscape to the hinterlands associated with an estate villa is unclear. Was there a short hiatus between the industrial landscape and the villa, or was the villa built because of the rich iron producing potential, perhaps with occupation following immediately on? Construction of Weldon villa to the south of the site occurred between 70-80 AD with continuous occupation until 400 AD. During the first half of this period the land immediately to the north of the villa was exploited for agriculture with several enclosures, a small field system, two possible structures and numerous pits present. Following the 2nd century AD there is little evidence of any activity taking place until the medieval period when a stone track traversed the site. The evidence for local occupation during the second half of the villa period is limited although traces of a possible later smelting site were present, perhaps suggesting a change in the focus or type of activity taking place during the latter half of the Romano-British period.