SNN110744 - Barby Reservoir, Barby, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Excavation, 2016

An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in October to November 2009 and June 2015, with an additional watching brief undertaken during December 2014, at Barby Reservoir, Barby, Northamptonshire. The excavation area comprised the footprint of extensions (Cells 3 and 4) to an existing hilltop reservoir. The watching brief was undertaken during ground investigations undertaken in advance of the work within Cell 4. The earliest remains comprised Mesolithic/Early Neolithic and Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flints, all of which were residual but which point to activity, albeit of unknown intensity, on the hilltop during the early prehistoric period. The earliest features dated to the Early Iron Age and suggest small-scale occupation on the hilltop. Large-scale occupation began with the construction of an alignment of possible roundhouses associated with small enclosures. These lacked dating evidence and may have been either earlier Iron Age or Middle Iron Age. The character of this occupation changed during the Middle Iron Age when a series of adjoining ditched enclosures were set out. These contained roundhouses, pits, subenclosures and yards, although no enclosure was revealed in its entirety and the settlement extended beyond the excavated area. The site’s economy seems to have been pastoral, with livestock probably having been grazed on open areas of the hilltop. This was supplemented by limited arable production and small-scale iron and copper-alloy working. Of note was evidence for the production of copper-alloy horse harness fittings, perhaps a specialist part of the economy. There was little evidence for activity beyond the Middle Iron Age but Late Iron Age/Roman use of the hilltop seems likely in light of Roman finds recovered during fieldwalking undertaken by the Barby Hill Archaeological Project.