Monument record 4558/1/3 - Iron Age Pit Alignment

{1} A large sub-rectangular pit measuring 1.85m by 1.25m and 0.6m deep with initially steep sides becoming more gently curved towards the base. A small quantity of animal bone but no dateable finds was recovered.
The pit cut, or was cut by, a narrow gully. The gully was not excavated and the relationship between the two features was not established.
A second large sub-rectangular pit was located 1.5m north east. The dimensions of the pit were 1.75m by 1.4m and was a minimum of 0.7m deep and steep-sided. A small fragment of abraded Iron Age pottery was recovered during excavation.
An east-west aligned gully was identified south west of the pit. It had a slightly irregular appearance in plan but measured approx 0.4m in width. It was not fully exposed and was not excavated.

{2} A pit alignment of 20 pits was recorded. The alignment ran for 61m and was orientated north-east to south-west, following the slope of the hill. The alignment terminated at the north-east end adjacent to a ditch, which may have been contemporary. The south-west end of the pit alignment may be a genuine terminal, although a deep furrow may have removed all trace of a pit and the alignment may continue beyond the limit of the excavation (although there was no indication of this from the geophysical survey).
The pit alignment was not completely straight having a slight ‘wiggle’ in the middle section, while there were no signs of recuts.
The 20 pits had some general consistency in their morphology, most being sub-rectangular (11), and others sub-square (6) or sub-circular (3). However, these differences in shape probably reflect the differing levels of plough and furrow truncation, as those less truncated tended to be sub-rectangular, and those with more significant truncation appeared more subcircular in plan.
The average length and width was 1.83m x 1.57m, although the less truncated pits indicate an average size of 2m x 1.65m. The average depth was 0.73m, though once again the less truncated examples were generally c.1m deep. The gap between each pit was fairly consistent, with an average from each pit edge of 1.31m, and 3.28m from the centre. The profile of each pit was also relatively consistent, being steep-sided, with a break of slope to near vertical towards the flat base.
Fifteen pits contained finds (pottery, flint, or animal bone). Pit alignments rarely produce significant quantities of artefacts as they are often located away from settlement foci. However, the artefacts from the pit alignment here were recovered from secondary fills. The pottery consisted of 83 small, often fragmentary, sherds of entirely mid to late Iron Age vessels, and 13 pits contained animal bone (amounting to 70 bone fragments). These objects likely indicate reuse of the pit alignment for refuse disposal once the pits had already partly filled and lost their primary purpose.

Speed, G., 2015, A pit alignment, Iron Age settlement and Roman cultivation trenches west of South Meadow Road, Upton Northampton (Report). SNN110230.

<1> Browning J., 2010, An Archaeological Evaluation by Trail Trenching on Land off South Meadow Road, Northampton, p.8-9 (checked) (Report). SNN107014.

Record last edited

Mar 21 2017 9:10AM