A Late Prehistoric Pit Alignment and Iron Age/Roman Settlements at Manor Farm, Market Harborough, Leicestershire

This monograph describes the results of Albion Archaeology’s open-area excavations undertaken in 2016, 2017, and 2019 at Manor Farm on the north-west outskirts of Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

The earliest identified features, albeit natural, were three palaeochannels, perpendicular to an existing stream within a small valley to the east of the development area. The palaeochannels were probably created by run-off from the higher ground to the west down to the stream to the east. Although undated, they were clearly in existence in the late Bronze Age and were still present in some form in the late Iron Age/early Roman period, when they influenced the settlement layout.

The earliest firm evidence of human activity comprised three small pits, c.30m apart, one of which was radiocarbon-dated to the early Neolithic. No artefacts were recovered but one pit contained 14 fragments of hazelnut shell. The next evidence for human activity was in the middle Bronze Age and comprised an isolated un-urned cremation burial and an extensive gully, both dated to this period solely by radiocarbon dating.

In the late Bronze Age–early Iron Age, a pit alignment was constructed, parallel to the course of the middle Bronze Age gully. The pit alignment was traced for c.850m across the excavation areas, although there were two gaps of c.100m and c.270m where no pits were present. There is no obvious explanation for these gaps, but it is possible that they represent areas of woodland that existed at the time the pit alignment was being constructed. The majority of the pits were c.1.5–2.6m in diameter, less than 1.0m deep, and set 1.5–2.0m apart. There is no evidence that any of the pits ever held posts and it is, therefore, presumed that they were open features. Pit alignments are notoriously difficult to date because their function did not typically entail the deposition of datable artefacts and they were usually located away from settlements where rubbish might originate. However, the Manor Farm pit alignment has been dated to the late Bronze Age–early Iron Age by a combination of pottery typology and radiocarbon dating.

The first permanent settlement was established in the middle–late Iron Age; it was c.3.5ha in extent. It comprised an enclosed area and a similar-sized, open area that were located in one of the gaps in the pit alignment. The ditches that separated the two parts of the settlement followed the course of one of the palaeochannels, suggesting that this was still visible in some way. The ditched enclosures were attached to an extensive ditched boundary, which followed the course of the earlier pit alignment. The location of possible ‘domestic foci’ were identified in both areas of the settlement; in total, they contained 16 roundhouses (indicated by circular drainage gullies).

The late Iron Age/early Roman settlement was c.3ha in extent and represents a continuation of the middle–late Iron Age settlement. It comprised enclosure systems separated by extensive boundaries, some of which reused earlier boundaries. The layout of the settlement was remodelled on two occasions in the early Roman period, eventually contracting to c.1ha in extent before going out of use by the end of the 2nd century AD. Routeways existed within all layouts of the settlement; they extended westwards to join an extensive trackway (located on higher ground) and appeared to serve another settlement just outside the development area to the south-west. Nine possible roundhouses were identified, although none was present in the final layout of the settlement. Some evidence for rectangular buildings was recovered, but it is likely that these were constructed in a way that left few sub-surface traces. Three small ring-ditches on the periphery of the settlement may indicate the location of haystacks. Given the scale of settlement in the late Iron Age and early Roman period, the absence of any human burials is surprising, and it is possible that the cemeteries used by the inhabitants lie outside the development area.

The inhabitants of the settlements, like others in the region, probably practised a mixed-farming economy, with a focus on animal husbandry; the location of the settlements on low-lying land near a stream would have been ideal for this. The inhabitants had the ability/desire to purchase regional and continental ceramics but only in low numbers. The pottery, brooches, green glass bead, and non-local quern stones indicate access to markets and trade, although an apparent absence of Roman coinage suggests this was on a small scale. The number of personal items recovered was also very small. There is no evidence to suggest that the local population was anything other than farmers of British origin, although it would be difficult to prove otherwise.

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