Monument record MLI97604 - Iron Age Activity, Tollemache Road, Grantham
Summary
Evidence of Iron Age activity including an iron smelting furnace, found on land off Tollemache Road, Grantham.
Type and Period (5)
- DITCH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- IRON WORKING SITE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- PIT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
- IRON FURNACE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
Potential archaeological anomalies were recorded in May and June 2008, during a magnetometry survey, conducted to inform proposed development on land off Tollemache Road, Grantham. The anomalies were interpreted as a series of ditches and a possible enclosure, although other features, previously identified in this area as cropmarks, were not revealed. {1}
A number of the geophysical anomalies were excavated and dated to the Iron Age during subsequent trial trench evaluation of this site, conducted in September 2008. The excavated features included a number of boundary ditches, one of which formed a sub-rectangular enclosure around a pit. This pit contained a lining of bright red burnt clay, and a large quantity of charcoal and ferrous slag (including furnace lining and tap slag) was recovered from its fill, leading to its interpretation as an iron smelting furnace. This feature correlated well with a strong magnetic anomaly identified in the previous geophysical survey, with another similar magnetic anomaly being identified slightly to the south, but still within the enclosure. A second pit containing a large quantity of burnt material was also excavated, just to the west and outside of the enclosure, though as this did not contain any slag or pottery, it was thought to be the result of domestic activity, rather than industrial. A small quantity of Iron Age pottery was recovered from most of the excavated features, but no evidence was again recorded of the previously identified cropmark features on this site. {2}{3}
Sources/Archives (3)
- <1> SLI12919 Report: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2008. Land off Tollemache Road, Grantham. -.
- <2> SLI12921 Report: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2008. Land at Tollemache Road, Spittlegate, Grantham. -.
- <3> SLI12920 Archive: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2008. Land at Tollemache Road, Spittlegate, Grantham. LCNCC 2008.84.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 9141 3344 (251m by 250m) Estimated from sources |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | GRANTHAM, SOUTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- Event - Intervention: Land at Tollemache Road, Spittlegate, Grantham (ELI10059)
- Event - Survey: Land off Tollemache Road, Grantham (ELI10058)
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
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