ENN7239 - Derngate, 1980 (Excavation)

{1} Excavations were carried out on the site of the old bus station in September-October 1980. Two trenches were excavated. Trench A was 30m long north-south & 1.5m wide and was located immediately east of & parallel to Swan Street, formerly Cow Lane. The central area was disturbed by later cellars and the north area was occupied by ?medieval quarrying & not investigated. A southern strip was relatively undisturbed, however and the whole area was taken down to ironstone subsoil. All features up to middle C17th investigated but later material was not looked at in detail and no traces of later buildings survived. Features included a possible robber trench which was overlaid by a late medieval cooking oven. A probable medieval quarry was also identified. A later watching brief tended to confirm this theory. Trench B was 6m long and 1.5m and was adjacent to Derngate. A series of clay floor and occupation deposits of medieval date were discovered to the west of a stone wall. Neither trench produced any pre-conquest pottery and the results would thus seem to suggest a post-conquest date for settlement in this area. Structural remains were not substantial.