Monument record 5860 - Possible Saxon Settlement

Fieldwalking survey found a scatter of Saxon pottery. A sunken-featured building was subsequently identified during excavation.

{1} An unknown quantity of Saxon pottery was recovered as a result of surface collection in 1983 by D.Hall. The material was recovered from field 11. The failure to identify further Saxon material may be partly explained by the poor visibility encountered in Field 11 by the seeded rape crop.

{2} The recovery of Saxon pottery from the site during field walking strongly suggests that the area was utilised at some point during the Saxon period. However, no Saxon pottery was recovered from the trenches and there was very little structural evidence to suggest any form of Saxon settlement. It is possible that the pottery was deposited from a process such a manuring and that the Saxon settlement exists outside of the area targetted by evaluation trenches.

{3} As part of the wider archaeological excavation a possible sunken-featured building was identified in the area of the pottery scatter. It comprised a large rectangular shallow pit, 3.50m by 2.94m and 0.26m deep with a circular posthole at each end.

<1> HANCOCKS A., 1997, Grange Park, Courteenhall, Northamptonshire: Surface Collection, (checked) (Report). SNN74129.

<2> Thomas A., 1998, Grange Park, Courteenhall, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation, (unchecked) (Report). SNN44028.

<3> Jones L.; Woodward A.; Buteux S., 2006, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon Occupation at Grange Park: Excavations at Courteenhall, Northamptonshire, 1999, p. 74 (Series). SNN105830.

Record last edited

Jun 9 2023 3:13PM