Monument record 9425/0/7 - Open Fields Project: Areas of Survival of Ridge & Furrow

Earthwork (Aerial Photography). Geoarchaeological investigation has concluded that the field system probably dates from the end of the first millenium AD and remained in use for over five hundred years, until economic changes led to it being turne over to pasture

{3} Ridge and furrow was aligned north to south in the eastern half of area 14, apparently terminating in a line of pit-type positive anomalies.

{9} A geoarchaeological and archaeological investigation of the medieval/early post-medieval ridge and furrow earthworks and later field boundaries was undertaken, comprising the excavation of a number of trial trenches and test pits. A buried soil horizon was encountered beneath the mineralised medieval ploughsoil. This deposit had some charactersitics of a Boreal soil (ie Mesolithic/Neolithic), but pollen analysis suggests it was probably a cultivated soil. The soil horizon overlay a variety of vegetation features, suggesting that the floodplain some degree of tree cover prior to clearance for agriculture. Although there was no suitable material for radiocarbon dating, small ditches also identified below the buried soil probably formed part of a ditch system of late iron Age or Roman date.

{10} Pollen assessment of the samples revealed the presence of cereals and their weeds, which is indicative of cultivation.

<1> Hall D.; Palmer R., 2001, Midland Open Fields Project: Digital Archive, (part checked) (Archive). SNN105253.

<2> Hall D.N., 2001, Turning The Plough - Midland Open Fields: Landscape Character and Proposals for Management, (unchecked) (Book). SNN101551.

<3> Butler A., 2009, Archaeological Geophysical Surveys for DIRFT III, Rugby Radio Station, Land East of The A5, Northamptonshire, September-October 2009, p.5 (checked) (Report). SNN108047.

<4> Horne B. (Editor), 2010, South Midlands Archaeology (40), p.18 (checked) (Journal). SNN107083.

<5> Chapman P. (Ed.), 2010, Archaeology in Northamptonshire, 2009 (36), p.187-9 (checked) (Article). SNN107503.

<6> Dicks S.; Morse D.; Chadwick P., 2011, Heritage Assessment: Rugby Sustainable Urban Extension, Fig.7 (checked) (Report). SNN109401.

<7> Cox, C., 2009, Rugby Radio Station: Interpretation of aerial photographs for archaeology (Report). SNN110704.

<8> Cotswold Archaeology, 2015, Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal III (DIRFT III), Northamptonshire: Ridge and Furrow Assessment (Stage I) (Report). SNN111440.

<9> Boyer, P., 2017, DIRFT III, Ridge and Furrow Survey, Northamptonshire: Geoarchaeological and Archaeological Investigation (Report). SNN111395.

<10> Watson, N, 2016, Geoarchaeological investigation of deposits at the DIRFT III site, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN111441.

Record last edited

Apr 18 2019 10:25AM