Orton Longueville

Villa

A site of Late Iron Age, Romano-British and Saxon occupation.  Excavation in the parish of Orton Longueville during the 1970s revealed a farmstead which had been occupied from c.50AD right through into the 6th century. Excavations uncovered probable Late Iron Age occupation of this site consisting of Iron Age pottery and ditches. In the 2nd century AD a substantial wooden building was erected. This building may have been demolished in the 3rd century AD when the Roman farmstead/villa was laid out around a rectangular courtyard, the east side of which was open. Occupation of the Roman buildings may have continued into the 5th century AD since the Anglo-Saxon material appears to be located on the eastern periphery of the farmstead. Within an enclosure houses, a Grubenhaus and a possible granary were uncovered, this site may have been occupied into the 6th century AD.

At its greatest extent, in the 4th century, the farmstead included three barns, a house with a walled yard, a large rectangular building and a mill-house. Important evidence for the milling of grain, brewing and animal management was recovered. The farm was apparently a large establishment having many features in common with a medieval manor, and it may have been an imperial estate. Occuption continued into the Saxon period, with evidence of a granary and possibly a hall.

The site at Orton Hall Farm had been excavated by local enthusiasts since 1964, but in the late 1960s it was announced that a large part of it would be destroyed by the construction of an intersection on the proposed dual-carriageway ring road which today surrounds Peterborough.

Map References for Orton Longueville

NGRef: TL1760095600

Roman Roads near Orton Longueville

None identified

Sites near Orton Longueville