Monument record MLI30341 - Roman Industrial and Settlement Activity, Ermine Street, Ancaster
Summary
Roman industrial and settlement activity, located on the eastern side of Ermine Street, to the north of Ancaster.
Type and Period (11)
- POTTERY KILN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- DITCH (Roman - 100 AD to 399 AD)
- POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
- PIT (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
- SETTLEMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- TRACKWAY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- WALL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- YARD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- KILN ? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- HEARTH ? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- ARTEFACT SCATTER (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
The remains of a Romano-British pottery kiln was discovered close to the eastern side of Ermine Street, when foundations for mill structures to the north of Ancaster were dug in 1864. The kiln was built of stone slabs in an oval shape, and measured 5 feet by 4 feet 6 inches at the bottom, widening to 6 feet by 5 feet 6 inches at the top. Numerous fragments of grey, red and cream coloured pottery were found, along with several Roman coins. Human remains were also found on the site, possibly marking the location of a former cemetery in this area (see PRN 39478). {1}{2}{3}
Further Roman pottery and coins were also identified in this area close to the edge of Ermine Street. {4}{5}{6}{7}{8}
Traces of Roman activity in this location were recorded in February 2006, during trial trenching conducted to inform proposed residential development. The investigation identified the remains of a roughly north to south aligned ditch, from which sherds of 2nd to 4th century Roman greyware pottery were recovered along with a small assemblage of cattle and equid bone. The remains of two likely Roman post holes and a possible pit were also recorded in close association with the ditch. {9}{10}
The previously identified ditch was investigated in more detail in March 2006, during a subsequent programme of archaeological excavation at the site. A greater extent of the feature was revealed, along with the remains of three likely associated linear gullies. Additional fragments of 2nd to 4th century Roman pottery and animal bone were recovered from the fill of the ditch, along with a probably residual fragment from a patera handle. {11}{12}
Traces of former Roman settlement and probable industrial activity were identified in April and May 2007, during geophysical surveys of a field in the north-east of Ancaster, known as Kiln Field. The surveys recorded a clearly defined area of magnetic enhancement and high resistance adjacent to Ermine Street, with a further group of highly magnetic anomalies located to the immediate east of this. The features were thought to represent the remains of former roadside buildings, linked by a number of associated tracks, walls, ditches and yards, and with a number of probable former kilns or hearths at their rear. {13}
Subsequent test pitting, conducted in 2007, confirmed the presence of former Roman roadside settlement and probable industrial activity fronting on to Ermine Street in this area. Remains of several former stone structures or buildings were recorded in several of the test pits, with a general spread of rubble and demolition debris being recorded across the site. A large, unstratified assemblage of Roman pottery was recovered from all of the test pits, along with a small number of Roman coins. The pottery assemblage was derived from a wide variety of different vessel forms, and was largely made of greyware, although some samian and colour-coated wares were present, along with fragments of mortaria. {14}
Sources/Archives (14)
- <1> SLI2344 Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. SK 94 SE: 15.
- <2> SLI338 Article in Serial: TROLLOPE, E.. 1870. ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL. -.
- <3> SLI348 Article in Serial: 1865. Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies’ Reports and Papers. vol.8, p.11.
- <4> SLI3765 Photograph: PARISH FILE. ANCASTER. -.
- <5> SLI1190 Correspondence: 1975. PARISH FILE. -.
- <6> SLI2881 Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. SK 94 SE: S.
- <7> SLI1213 Correspondence: PARISH FILE. ANCASTER. -.
- <8> SLI6072 Index: South Kesteven records. Ancaster. SK 02.63, 02.71, 02.97.
- <9> SLI10676 Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2006. Land at Baird's Mill, Ermine Street, Ancaster. APS site code: ABM06.
- <10> SLI10677 Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2006. Land at Baird's Mill, Ermine Street, Ancaster. LCNCC 2006.27.
- <11> SLI10678 Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2006. Land at Baird's Mill, Ermine Street, Ancaster. APS site code: ABM06.
- <12> SLI10679 Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2006. Land at Baird's Mill, Ermine Street, Ancaster. LCNCC 2006.27.
- <13> SLI15769 Report: Grid Nine Geophysics. 2016. Kiln Field, Ancaster. -.
- <14> SLI15770 Report: Grantham Archaeology Group. 2016. Kiln Field Excavations, Ancaster. GAG site code: AKF07.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 9863 4427 (152m by 172m) Estimated from sources |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ANCASTER, SOUTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (5)
- Event - Intervention: Excavation on Land at Baird's Mill, Ermine Street, Ancaster (ELI6667)
- Event - Intervention: Kiln Field Excavations, Ancaster (ELI12867)
- Event - Intervention: Land at Baird's Mill, Ermine Street, Ancaster (ELI6665)
- Event - Survey: Magnetometry Survey of Kiln Field, Ancaster (ELI12865)
- Event - Survey: Resistivity Survey at Kiln Field, Ancaster (ELI12866)
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
Feedback?
Your feedback is welcome. If you can provide any new information about this record, please contact us.