Monument record 0771000000 - Land E of Buckingham Road, Steeple Claydon

Geophysical survey carried out by MoLA Northampton in April 2014 in advance of proposed development identified a small number of positive anomalies interpreted as segments of two ring ditches, ditched enclosures and pits, underlying weak positive parallel linear anomalies representing medieval and post-medieval ridge and furrow cultivation (B1).
Subsequent evaluation trial trenching carried out by MoLA Northampton in April 2014 identified the geophysical anomalies as Roman pits, ditches, a roundhouse gully, possible trackway or gravelled surface and an undated ring ditch in 5 of the 10 trenches. In Trench 1 two ditches at right angles to each other may have formed two sides of a rectangular enclosure at least 30m X 40m aligned NW-SE. The larger recut ditch was aligned NE-SW, about 30m long, 2m wide and 0.7m deep with sloping sides and irregular base. On the west side of the ditch a spread of gravel is interpreted as a surface or possible trackway. The other shallow ditch was aligned NW-SE, about 15m long, 0.95m wide and 0.3m deep with asymetrically sloping sides and rounded base. In Trench 2, 3 large circular pits were found. The westernmost pit was 4m in diameter and 0.18m deep with gently sloping sides and flat base. The eastern most pit was 6m in diameter and 0.98m deep with steeply sloping sides and flat base. Only the edge of the third pit lay within the trench but it also had steep sides. In Trench 3 two segments of a ring ditch about 20.5m in diameter with ditches 1.6m - 2.46m wide and 0.34m deep with gently sloping sides and flat base were identified; the wider ditch segment had a beam slot in the base of the ditch. In Trench 4 an undated ring ditch about 8.5m in diameter with 0.92m wide and 0.32m deep ditch with steep sides and flat base is interpreted as a possible roundhouse gully. In Trench 5 a NW-SE aligned ditch about 20m long, 1.1m wide and 0.5m deep with steep sides and a rounded base was found. See report for detail (B2).
Excavation identified a pastoral field system established in the late Iron Age with 2 stock enclosures identified. This further developed in the late Iron Age-Early Roman period with further stock enclosures, including a possible corral and paddock, as well as pits and drainage ditches. An Early Roman vessel cremation was found deposited in the boundary ditch. In the later Roman period the stock enclosures were modified and further ditches were dug to ease drainage. The discovery of sherds of middle Iron Age pottery indicate that the origins of the site began in this period, although no dug fetures of this period were discovered (B3).