ENN111027 - Northampton Market Square, 2023 (Observation)

A sequence of archaeological deposits and features dating from the medieval period onwards were recorded. The site has been in use as a market since AD 1235 and the continued use and re-development of the hub of the town was evident during the course of these works. Features included medieval ironstone walls, cobbled surfaces and a stone-capped drain. Evidence of the late medieval Great Conduit, which transported water from the east of the town to the centre, was identified in addition to two late medieval metalled surfaces, which likely represented lanes or pavements, the partial remains of an ironstone building, a probable ditch and a waste pit. A dark organic rich levelling layer, which likely comprised multiple dumps in the medieval/late medieval period was identified across trenches in the centre of the area. Vast assemblages of artefacts and ecofacts were recovered from this layer, but most notable was the large assemblage of shoes, shoe-making and cobbler leather waste, which included primary waste such as hides and udders, indicating that tanning was taking place on the site. The post-medieval features included a cobbled surface, a cellar ceiling, five structural timbers (one still in situ), a ditch, and a deliberate deposit of mid to late 17th-century clay tobacco pipes. The base of a modern ornamental fountain and the vaulted ceiling of a cellar was also identified. Despite the clearly mixed nature of this urban site, several conclusions regarding the development of the market square from the medieval to the modern periods can be inferred at this initial stage of works.