ENN110538 - Land to the rear of 15 and 15a Chancery Lane, 2022 (Strip, map and sample)

An archaeological strip, map and sample excavation was undertaken by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) on land to the rear of 15 and 15A Chancery Lane, Thrapston, Northamptonshire (SP 9955 7878) between 28th February - 16th March 2022. The fieldwork was undertaken as a condition that had been imposed as a condition on a planning application for residential development. A programme of archaeological evaluation by trial trenching had been undertaken on the site in 2013, which identified several ditches identified as medieval property boundaries. The follow up strip, map and sample excavation evaluation revealed activity dating to the Roman and Saxo-Norman to early medieval periods. The former comprised several gullies and smaller ditches, which produced limited evidence for domestic occupation. In terms of the medieval evidence, further indications were provided of ditches likely forming the rear boundary of properties fronting Chancery Lane. In addition, the discovery of a substantial rubble-filled ditch in the northeast corner of the development area offers the suggestion of the first tangible archaeological evidence for the medieval castle which is believed to have been located adjacent to the present site. [Information from OASIS online form] [ULAS has used ENN110539]