Monument record MLI91750 - Roman road and roadside settlement on land at The Hoplands
Summary
A Roman road and roadside settlement on land at The Hoplands, immediately west of the railway.
Type and Period (11)
- ROAD (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 409 AD)
- DITCH (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 409 AD)
- POST TRENCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- SETTLEMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- BUILDING (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- CESS PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- WELL (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC? to 409 AD)
- OVEN (Roman - 100 AD to 409 AD)
- POST HOLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- INHUMATION (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
The metalled surface of a Roman road with agger running east-west was seen in two evaluation trenches. The road is on the same alignment as one seen further west, near Mareham Lane (see PRN 60584f) and is probably a continuation of this. A roadside ditch was present on the south side only. There was some evidence that the road was still maintained and may have been in use during the medieval period. A post trench representing the remains of a building was seen in trench 1. This feature probably dated to the 4th century and may represent eastwards expansion from the main roadside settlement along Mareham Lane (PRN 60584). A robbed foundation was also seen, which may represent the rear of roadside buildings. A substantial layer of dark earth covered all deposits in both trenches. A wide variety of Roman pottery, dating from mid 1st century through to late 4th century, was recovered including part of a rare 3rd century face vase. {1}{2}
A subsequent archaeological excavation on the same site between January and March 2010 revealed a significant roadside settlement of Roman date. The east-west aligned road encountered during the prior evaluation was discovered to be of Late Iron Age origin, with evidence of maintenance and expansion in the Roman period. This included the dumping of a number of deposits to increase the height of the ground around the road, probably to prevent flooding. South of the road was a Late Iron Age rectilinear enclosure, which appears to have been abandoned by the 1st century AD. By this time a modest roadside settlement had appeared; this appears to have been active between the mid 2nd and 4th centuries AD, and was focussed around a long building immediately to the north of the road. This building was abandoned and rebuilt on several occasions, with at least five different phases of construction identified. It consisted of a limestone brash foundation thought to have originally supported a wooden superstructure, measuring between 8m and 16m long. At least one phase of construction included a row of probably internal postholes, possibly supporting the roof of an aisled structure. Internal floor surfaces and a keyhole-shape oven constructed of limestone slabs were also recorded. The latest phase of this building (dated to the late 3rd to 4th century AD) had a small annexe or lean-to structure to the south, the foundations of which truncated the road surface, narrowing the width of the road at this point. At least three other buildings were identified to the west and north, though these were either partially obscured by deposits left in situ or continued past the limit of excavation and their original form is unclear. Several cess pits and stone lined wells were also encountered further north, away from the road. Environmental analysis of these features identified cereals and arable weeds, as well as the seeds of a plant from the nightshade family, traditionally used in medicine. Two adult inhumation burials and the grave of a neonate were also excavated. The neonatal burial was encountered in a grave cut beneath the first phase building foundation, and appears to have been contemporary with its construction trench, giving it a mid-late 2nd century date. To the north of the settlement, a series of probable boundary or drainage ditches were encountered, though analysis of these features was made difficult by the preservation in situ of overlying deposits. The entire settlement appears to have been abandoned by the end of the 4th century AD and was sealed by a post-Roman layer of soft, dark brown sandy silt which extended across the site to a depth of 0.42m-0.92m. This layer is typical of so-called 'Dark Earth' deposits which have been identified in post-abandonment contexts at other Roman settlements. {3}{4}
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SLI12052 Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2008. Archaeological Evaluation on land at The Hoplands, Sleaford. APS Site Code: SLTH08.
- <2> SLI12053 Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2008. Archaeological Evaluation on land at The Hoplands, Sleaford. LCNCC: 2008.26.
- <3> SLI18977 Report: Network Archaeology Ltd. 2012. Hoplands, Boston Road, Sleaford: Archaeological Excavation. NA Site Code: HOPS 09.
- <4> SLI18978 Archive: Network Archaeology Ltd. 2009. Hoplands, Boston Road, Sleaford: Archaeological Excavation. LCNCC: 2009.193.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TF 0793 4590 (62m by 62m) Estimated from sources |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | KIRKBY LA THORPE, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (2)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- Event - Intervention: Archaeological evaluation on land at the Hoplands (ELI8708)
- Event - Intervention: Excavation on land at the Hoplands (ELI14623)
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
May 20 2025 9:30AM
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