Albion Archaeology

Preliminary report on the archaeological investigations at Radstone Fields, ,

Photo1: Aerial view of the Radstone Field development area showing the excavation area (to right) and Brackley (in background)

Introduction Between July and December 2014 Albion Archaeology undertook open-area excavation in advance of residential development at Radstone Fields, Brackley (Photo 1). The archaeological works were managed by CgMs Consulting on behalf of Barratt Homes and Taylor Wimpey . An area of c. 7ha was excavated exposing a large unenclosed middle Iron Age settlement.

The settlement extended over an area of c. 4ha and broadly followed the crest of the ridgeline running NE-SW across the excavation area (see plan at back of this report). It was characterised by roundhouses, ditched , post-built structures and an abundance of storage pits. In addition, six stone-lined pits, two stone surfaces and a stone-lined ditch were uncovered.

Roundhouses Evidence for c. 40 roundhouses was identified. These were generally defined by pennanular gullies with SE-facing entrances; however one example displayed a W- facing entrance whilst others were defined by unbroken annular or sub-pentagonal gullies. The area defined by the gullies ranged from 7–14m in diameter, whilst the

Preliminary report on the archaeological investigations at Radstone Fields, Brackley, Northants 1

(Mike Luke and Iain Leslie. Albion report 2015-199) Albion Archaeology gullies themselves were generally shallow and only a few had been redug (Photo 2). The majority of the gullies are assumed to have served a drainage function with only a small number being associated with the outer wall of the roundhouse. Many contained postholes which may have provided roof support or internal divisions.

Photo 2: Roundhouse with enclosing ditch

In five cases the roundhouses were defined by larger ditches which had often been heavily recut. Whilst these may have been dug to provide drainage or bar the access of livestock, their excessive size and their absence from the majority of roundhouses suggest that they may have performed a less obvious function. This may have been to provide a visible and physical reminder of the importance of the enclosed space or of its occupants. The most obvious of these is the largest, located centrally within the settlement, which appears to have a conspicuous absence of activity in its vicinity and especially to the SE where its entrance was located.

Ditched enclosures At least 12 ditched enclosures were identified. Several were D-shaped whilst others were sub-circular or rectilinear. At least two incorporated roundhouse gullies to form one or more of their sides. However, they generally contained few internal features, perhaps suggesting they were animal paddocks.

Post-built structures At least 45 post-built structures were identified across the settlement. They were generally characterised by four or more post-holes in square or rectangular arrangements. Such features are often interpreted as above-ground grain stores.

One rectangular arrangement of post-holes is much larger in extent than the others, covering an area of 11.5m by 10m. This may represent a large post-built structure or a fenced . Approximately 140 additional post-holes were investigated but do not appear to be part of a recognisable structure.

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(Mike Luke and Iain Leslie. Albion report 2015-199) Albion Archaeology

Pits Approximately 400 pits were present within the settlement. These comprised a mix of classic circular, steep-sided and flat-bottomed grain storage pits and pits with less steep sides or more concave bases. The storage pits often appeared in tight clusters set away from roundhouses, whilst other pit types were more evenly spread across the settlement. Several areas of probable quarry pits were also identified.

Stone-lined pits Six stone-lined pits were discovered during the excavation. All were circular ranging from 1.8–3m in diameter and up to 0.55m in depth. Four retained sides lined with neatly constructed dry-stone walling (Photo 3). The remaining two were heavily truncated and whilst one contained what may have been the lowest course of similar walling, only the base of the other pit survived. The bases of the pits showed a greater variation with three being stone-lined, two holding a thin clay lining and one having no surviving lining at all. It is of course conceivable that the base may have been lined with wood or other organic material that did not survive or leave any trace. Four of the six were located within clusters of non-lined pits and as with the storage pits they were all located outside and away from contemporary roundhouses.

Photo 3: One of the six stone-lined pits

Comparable pits with stone lining do not appear to be common in lowland and numbers have not increased, at least in the Nene and Ouse Valleys, since Knight over 25 years ago identified four possible examples including one in the hillfort at Hunsbury, Northampton (Knight 1984, 109). However, one was investigated within the nearby contemporary settlement off Northampton Road, Brackley (see below). Their similarity in profile and location to other storage pits suggests they may also have served a similar function, although the obvious differences in construction suggest a different product — perhaps meat or dairy products.

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(Mike Luke and Iain Leslie. Albion report 2015-199) Albion Archaeology

Stone surfaces Two stone surfaces were present within the settlement. The smaller of the two was heavily truncated, but covered an area of c. 4m by 3m and was constructed of small and medium limestone slabs set in an irregular fashion. Although located within a possible roundhouse, it is not certain whether the two were contemporary.

The other surface was much larger, covering a square area of 10m by 8m and bounded by a ditch on three sides (Photo 4). The stones were set flat in an irregular arrangement with some very large slabs surviving. The remains of a possible dry stone wall was present on one side suggesting the surface may at one point have been enclosed by a wall. Storage pits clustered along the outer edge of the ditched enclosure and a nearby pit contained abundant burnt grain, possibly supporting the idea that the surface was used during the processing of crop, perhaps as a threshing floor.

Photo 4: One of stone surfaces partly bounded by a ditch (photo by Aerial-Cam)

Stone-lined ditch At the NW periphery of the settlement an unusual curvilinear ditch was revealed. The ditch formed an upside-down “C” shape and had been recut several times. The latest of the recuts was lined on its outer edge with a finely made dry stone wall (Photo 5) similar to those present in the stone-lined pits. Comparable partially stone-lined curving ditch features are rare but several were found at Dalladies in Kincardineshire, Scotland (Watkins 1980). These were described as ‘souterrain-related structures’ and it was suggested that they performed a similar function to souterrains, i.e. communal grain storage (Watkins 1980, 162). Whatever the actual function of the structure at Radstone Fields, it is very unusual and also interesting in that it is located away from the main settlement area.

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(Mike Luke and Iain Leslie. Albion report 2015-199) Albion Archaeology

Photo 5: The stone-lined ditch at end of excavation (photo by Aerial-Cam)

Burials Two possible cremation burials were identified, although the quantity of bone is small and only one appeared to be in its own individual grave. One animal burial was also identified. A small number of disarticulated human bones and animal bone groups were present within settlement features, a relatively common occurrence on Iron Age sites, but the precise number is unknown at this stage.

Artefacts The recovered assemblage includes 32kg of pottery and 53kg of animal bone. Although not all of the other artefacts can be closely dated, it is likely that they are contemporary, given the absence of earlier and later settlement. Artefacts include an antler cheek piece, three ceramic loomweights, a copper spiral ‘snake’ bracelet, a mortise chisel, saw, reaping hooks, ploughshare and iron brooch. The presence of such finds attests to craft production and agriculture.

Summary The largely undiagnostic but consistently middle Iron Age pottery assemblage along with modest stratigraphic evidence means it is uncertain if the evidence represents a single large settlement or several smaller settlement shifting location every couple of generations within the same broad area. A similar and contemporary settlement has been recently investigated in Brackley c. 1km to the SE, off Northampton Road. The evidence from both settlements indicates that they were occupied by mixed farming communities who undertook some craft production. The stone-lined features are testament to their skill in dry stone walling, the exploitation of local raw materials and

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(Mike Luke and Iain Leslie. Albion report 2015-199) Albion Archaeology

perhaps even the spread of ideas from as far a field as Scotland or SW England where souterrain-type features are more commonly found.

References Knight, D., 1984 Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Settlement in the Nene and Great Ouse Basins , Brit. Archaeol. Rep. Brit. Ser. 130 (Oxford)

Watkins, T., 1980 ‘Excavation of an Iron Age open settlement at Dalladies, Kincardineshire’, Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot . 110, 122-164

23920000

Cremation 23910000 burial

Animal burial

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Roundhouse

Possible Stone -lined ditch cremationbu rial Roundhouse enclosure Storage pit Stone -lined pit Other pits/postholes Post -built structure

Stone surface

23890000 0 100 m

45840000 45850000 45860000 Plan of the Iron Age settlement at Radstone Fields

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(Mike Luke and Iain Leslie. Albion report 2015-199)