Find Spot record 5986/0/0 - Unstratified Neolithic & Bronze Age Finds Scattered Over Wide Area on North Side of Nene Valley

A large assemblage of worked flint has been found over a wide area.

{1} Finds of 15,000 - 20,000 prehistoric flint arrowheads and knives and a Bronze Age pierced stone macehead. Recovered from fields mainly to the left of the Northampton to Upton Road at SP730605.

{2} The site of the Iron Age and Romano-British settlement produced many finely worked flint arrowheads and a Bronze Age stone macehead.

{3} Excavation in 1974-5 recovered over 500 late Neolithic and early Bronze Age worked flints. Most were of late Neolithic type.
Trial trenching in 1977 at Upton Way (SP726604) recovered 65 late Neolithic and eraly Bronze Age flint flakes, blades and cores, and retouched implements.
A stone wristguard of Beaker type was found in January 1973 at SP73076002, but in topsoil imported from quarries at SP730605. See Ref.{9}.
Further Prehistoric flints were recovered from SP72756022, SP728601, SP73286040, SP73316042, SP73336040 and SP734602.
In 1903 a Neolithic polished stone axe was found, Group VI, Great Langdale.
Mesolithic - Early Bronze Age Settlement (SP 72386085 - SP 72836083 - SP 73506041 - SP 72505986). Amongst the retouched implements in Northampton Museum known or thought probably to be from this site are types diagnostic of mesolithic, neolithic and early Bronze Age industries. The numbers and density of finds indicate a domestic settlement or settlements from at least the neolithic period onwards.
Mesolithic Finds - Approximately 5 per cent of the retouched implements in the recorded assemblage are microliths. These are almost all backed blades, backed points and obliquely blunted points and include hardly any of the more developed geometric types. Twenty-six per cent of the unretouched component consists of small blades of the kind particulary, though not exclusively, characteristic of mesolithic industries. A mesolithic tranchet axe is recorded from around SP 728604.
Neolithic Finds - Many of the retouched pieces could be of earlier neolithic date, although the types are known to have continued in use into later periods. These include leaf-shaped arrowheads (5 per cent of the retouched component), `laurel leaf' points (1 per cent) and fragments of polished flint axes. A polished stone axe (Group VI, Gt Langdale) recorded in 1903 may also be from this site.
Later Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Finds - Specifically later types include petit-tranchet derivative arrowheads (3 per cent) and tanged arrowheads (1.3 per cent), plano-convex knives (0.7 per cent), straight-edged knives with bifacial or unfacial edge retouch (0.6 per cent) and also a perforated stone macehead. During archaeological excavations in 1973 centred on SP 72706039 more than 100 flint flakes, blades and cores were found on and around the site. They include several small blades of mesolithic type with mesolithic retouch. During archaeological excavtions in 1974-5 at SP 732603 over 500 more worked flints were recorded, some of them associated with pits and post-holes which included a possible hut setting . The majority of the diagnostic pieces in the assemblage are of later neolithic type, although there are at least one microlthic and several small blades. Sixty-six flint flakeds, blades, cores and retouched implements, including a microlith point, were found in 1977 at SP 726604 during trial trenching along the line of Upton Way.

{4} Neolithic stone axes were found in the general area during the C19th. In 1903 a Neolithic polished stone axe, was found in the area.

{5} Unlocated finds of two Neolithic arrowheads.

{6} Further Prehistoric flints were recovered from SP72756022, SP728601, SP73286040, SP73316042, SP73336040 and SP734602.

{9} Stone wristguard of Beaker type. Single perforation at one end and other end broken in antiquity. Possibly re-shaped, or never properly finished.

{10} Suggests that Neolithic polished stone axe, Group VI, Great Langdale, found in 1903, is the same as RN:72600005, but this is a mesolithic tranchet axe and has a different Museum Accession Number.

{11} Prehistoric flint flake found by Moore W.R.G. at SP731605.

{12} Northampton Museum hold a considerable number of flints from this area. The BA macehead is classified as such.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP76SW4 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<2> British Numismatic Journal, p.39 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN105060.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.249-251 (checked) (Series). SNN77383.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP76SW3 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<5> George, T J, Prehistoric Northamptonshire Site List, Drawer 8 (checked) (Manuscript). SNN59915.

<6> Northampton Museum Records, Finds cards (unchecked) (Document). SNN104908.

<8> 1953, The Archaeological Journal (110), p.177 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN59424.

<9> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1974, Archaeology In Northamptonshire 1973, p.83 (unchecked) (Article). SNN9109.

<10> Williams J.H.; Shaw M.; Hardy S., 1978-1984, Northampton Development Corporation SMR Secondary Record Sheets, P146b + P251 (checked) (Catalogue). SNN108.

<11> Williams J.H.; Shaw M.; Hardy S., 1978-1984, Northampton Development Corporation SMR Secondary Record Sheets, P145b (checked) (Catalogue). SNN108.

<12> Seaman, BH, 1969, Field investigators comments, 26-MAR-69 (Notes). SNN111907.

<13> GEORGE T.J., 1917, Early man in Northamptonshire with particular reference to the late Celtic period as illustrated by Hunsbury Camp, Page 147 (Report). SNN71868.

<14> NDC SMR Records, P251, P98, P145, P146, P166, P126 (Database). SNN103358.

Record last edited

Feb 4 2025 7:13PM