Glenvale Park, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire

Between the 14th June and the 5th July 2021, Oxford Archaeology East (OA East) conducted a programme of archaeological evaluation at Glenvale Park, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire (SP 87466 70150). A total of 32 x 50m long trenches and one 20m long trench were excavated within a proposed development area of agricultural farmland to the north of the town.
The evaluation confirmed the presence of Romano‐British ditches in the north of the field, probably part of a rural settlement. The layout of the ditches correlated with features identified in an earlier geophysical survey, forming part of a rectilinear field system. Finds associated with the ditches included pottery (232 sherds, 3010g), dating primarily to the later Roman period, with a suggested peak between AD150‐400. Metalwork, worked flint, fired clay and burnt stone were also recovered. Animal bone was dominated by cattle, followed by sheep/goat, dog and bird, with a few instances of pig and horse bone. Charred grain (barley and spelt/emmer wheat), chaff, weed seeds and charcoal were recovered from bulk soil samples and indicate that there is good potential for the preservation of plant remains at the site.
A later layer of colluvium located in the east of the western field, and following the natural topography of the site, suggests an absence of activity after the Roman period.