Monument record MLI82626 - Late Romano-British enclosures and possible farmstead or villa, Kirkby la Thorpe

Summary

Late Romano-British field enclosures and possible farmstead or villa, Kirkby la Thorpe

Type and Period (9)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

PRN 62205 Cropworks of a number of rectilinear enclosures have been recorded. {1} Excavation has identified Roman pottery and much animal bone.{2} Geophysical survey detected an area of enhanced susceptibility readings associated with ditch-like anomalies and possible pits. These readings were concentrated in the northern half of the plot, suggesting an association with the enclsoure cropmarks.{3} Fieldwalking produced a significant artefact scatter, including eleven sherds of Roman and five of Anglo-Saxon pottery.{4}{5} It was recommended that evaluation trenches should be excavated to allow for detailed assessment of the remains. Trenches 15 to 17 produced Romano-British features while Trenches 12 and 13 contained features that were later found to be Anglo-Saxon (PRN64438). A Romano-British ditch in Trench 14 was masked by overlying furrows and was not detected until subsequent excavation. Trench 19 was not opened as the decision had by then been made to excavate the whole site. A copper alloy finial from an iron key was found in Trench 16.{4}{5} The removal of topsoil revealed the remains of a rectilinear enclosure ditch system and several smaller, less regular ditches, gullies and pits. The northern half of the plot was dominated by Anglo-Saxon settlement activity (PRN 64438). Two phases of Romano-British activity could be discerned. The earliest activity appears to consist of insubstantial rectilinear demarcation ditches associated with shallow gullies and pits. The pottery indicates a relatively short occupation period spanning the third to fourth centuries with a peak in the mid to late fourth century. A group of gullies could possibly be the remains of a circular structure, although the small number of artefacts suggests it was not a dwelling. Alternative uses such as storage, shelter or workshop spaces are possible. The lack of additional structural evidence and the relatively small quantities of domestic waste within the features suggest the site lies at the periphery of the main occupation area. There is nothing to suggest that we are seeing anything other than a low or medium status farmstead. By contrast with the Phase 2 features, there is no strong association with ceramic building materials. The darker colour of the ditch and pit fills and the greater quantity of artefacts suggests increasing activity levels in Phase 2. The features were more regular than those from Phase 1 and suggest planning on a larger scale. A large amount of metal-working slag was recovered, much of the material typical of smithing. The site also produced a large amount of animal bone, predominantly cattle but also sheep and/or goat, pig, horse and dog. The range and quantity of ceramic building material recovered indicates that there was a substantial building nearby. The presence of box-flues, tegula and imbrex tiles and brick suggests that this may have been a villa complex. The pottery assemblage supports this hypothesis as it is a domestic assemblage very similar to groups from late Roman villas in Lincolnshire. This development seemed to have occurred towards the end of the fourth century AD.{4}{5}

Sources/Archives (5)

  •  Aerial Photograph: 1946-98. RCHME. RCHME TF0946/1 1715-19.
  •  Verbal Communication: L.B.. 2002. Roman field enclosures at Kirkby La Thorpe.
  •  Report: Bartlett-Clark Consultancy. 2000. Geophysical survey of the Hatton to Silk Willoughby Gas Pipeline.
  •  Report: Network Archaeology Ltd. Apr 2003. Archaeological Evaluation, Excavation and Watching Brief on the Hatton to Silk Willoughby Gas Pipeline 2001. HAT00.
  •  Archive: Network Archaeology Ltd. Apr 2003. Archaeological Evaluation, Excavation and Watching Brief on the Hatton to Silk Willoughby Gas Pipeline 2001. LCNCC 2000.102.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 094 464 (252m by 233m)
Civil Parish KIRKBY LA THORPE, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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