SNN114364 - Bickerstaffes Road (Water Lane), Towcester, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Excavation Final Assessment

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Orion Heritage, on behalf of Churchill Retirement Living, to undertake archaeological mitigation works on a parcel of land covering 0.27 hectares at Bickerstaffes Road (Water Lane), Towcester, Northamptonshire (NGR 469179 248485). The work was carried out as a condition of planning permission, granted by South Northamptonshire Council, now part of West Northamptonshire Council. This final assessment report has been produced following recommendations in the initial post-excavation assessment document that further analysis of the pottery and animal bone assemblages should be undertaken. The majority of the archaeological remains were Romano-British in date and comprised ditches, pits, gullies, occupation deposits, a stone surface and a stone-lined well. The period was divided into three phases of activity, through pottery dating and stratigraphic relationships. The earliest phase represented initial occupation on the site and consisted of a layer, a ditch terminus and two pits. Finds recovered from these features dated them to the mid-1st–2nd century. The second phase represented the peak of activity on the site and comprised two large boundary ditches, gullies, pits, a stone surface and a well. These features and finds showed the site was part of a settlement, with potentially a stone building and backyard industrial activity dating to the 2nd century. The third and final Romano-British phase dated to the 3rd–4th centuries and saw further land division followed by the ending of the settlement and the enclosure of the site. This is shown in the retention and subdivision of the earlier plots, with additional ditches and realignment of the northern boundary, a large reduction in the number of features, the backfilling of the well and the disuse of the stone structure at the south end of the site. The site became part of the agricultural landscape after the Romano-British period, with remains from this phase including postholes that contained four small sherds of possible early Saxon pottery, a medieval pit, and a series of medieval/post-medieval deposits. Other, later remains included modern features and drains, and there were a number of undated pits. Post-Roman finds were present, but sparse. The finds assemblage is modest but provides good dating for the majority of features. The pottery spans all four centuries of the Romano-British period, however, there is an evident bias to the mid-1st–late 2nd century AD. Analysis of the samian indicates that there was uninterrupted occupation of the site from the 1st into the 2nd century AD and that the site was associated with the military, either as part of a military site or an extra-mural settlement around military installations. The construction of the town defences in the late 2nd century, just to the north of the site, suggests it is the latter. The pottery also provides evidence of domestic activity and is similar to other assemblages recovered from Towcester, while the small animal bone and tiny slag assemblages provide some indications of backyard industrial activity, perhaps iron smithing, butchery and specialist processing such as curing. The animal bone assemblage has been fully recorded, and the enhanced dataset provides further details about livestock economy in the wider rural hinterland and the types of meat procured and consumed within the suburbs of Romano-British Towcester. Animal bone evidence suggests that animals from the nearby agricultural hinterland were sent to the town for slaughter, supplying an urban demand for young, tender meat. The environmental remains are poorly preserved and limited, however they do provide evidence of exploitation of the local woodland/scrubland through the assemblages of wood charcoal and hazelnut shells. This is potentially further supported by the presence of deer antler. Relevant results and conclusions from the site have been contributed to the East Midlands Historic Environment Research Framework.