Monument record 9980/0/2 - Open Fields Project: Areas of Survival of Ridge & Furrow

Earthwork (Aerial Photography). The field has now been developed

{3} Pronounced ridge and furrow earthworks, aligned NW-SE, are visible. This field was part of what was called Garbroad Furlong in 1776.

{6} MOLA Northampton carried out an archaeological trial trench evaluation and earthwork survey on land to the north of Harrington Road, Desborough. The area contained surviving ridge and furrow earthworks. It has been suggested that 7.0m width, or around a third of an acre, is about average for cultivation strips by the late medieval period. At Harrington Road the strips are c5.0m wide, possibly indicating they are slightly earlier than this period. The alignment of the cultivation strips tends to be dependent upon the field topography to allow for the best drainage. At Harrington Road, the earthworks are indeed aligned along the natural incline as the land gradually slopes down towards the River Ise.

<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> Walker C., 2012, Archaeological Desk-Based Heritage Assessment of Land at Harrington Road, Desborough, Northamptonshire, p.3 (checked) (Report). SNN109267.

<4> 1776, Pre-Inclosure Map of Desborough, (unchecked) (Map). SNN109316.

<5> 1777, Plan of Desborough Township After Inclosure in 1777, (unchecked) (Map). SNN109317.

<6> Finn, C., 2014, Archaeological trial trench evaluation on land at Harrington Road, Desborough, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN110142.

<7> Fisher I., 2013, Archaeological Geophysical Survey of Land at Harrington Road, Desborough, Northamptonshire, April 2013 (Report). SNN109878.

Record last edited

Sep 14 2018 9:34AM