Monument record 343/2/8 - Undated structure, possibly an animal enclosure

Lodge(Earthworks)

{1} Low footings of stone building 9m by 15m. Interpeted as a lodge. Forest Enterprise report 2001 (in SMR). Fineshade update, 'site 7'.

{2} An embanked enclosure containing the footings of a stone building. It forms a rectangle of 9m by 15m and is presumably the lodge belonging to the prior of Fineshade's wood.

{3} A rectangular three sided banked feature. The southern wall was 80cm thick, made of coursed limestone rubble with a rubble core. The wall had survived to more than three courses. Much of the stone is of poor quality and has been re-used. The western wall was two metres shorter than the eastern one but this may be due to tree damage. There was no north wall. It seems likely that the structure was an anomal enclosure of some type. Photo.

{4} Area Fc sampled the small putative lodge/ animal pen, and a reasonable but weak magnetic response was seen. If this area was inhabited then some elevated magnetic susceptibility response would be expected. The data, therefore, supports the interpetation of the site as an animal pen.

<1> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, Fineshade/Site 6 (Database). SNN102279.

<2> Hall D.N., 2001, Ancient Woodland Project: Archaeological Survey (Northamptonshire, Peterborough and Milton Keynes Forests, Archaeological Interpretation Survey, Part 4), p.17-18 (checked) (Report). SNN101514.

<3> Bellamy B.; Johnston G., 2002, Report on Sections Excavated in Fineshade Wood, (checked) (Report). SNN107394.

<4> Gaffney, C., 2005, Mill Wood, Fineshade, Northamptonshire: Geophysical Survey, p.4 (checked) (Report). SNN105332.

Record last edited

Jan 7 2014 7:25PM