Monument record 4862/0/2 - Probably Iron Age rectilinear field system ditches

{1} Two opposing ditches forming an entranceway to a probable ditched enclosure were found. The ditches were aligned north east to south west, 0.68/0.7m wide and 0.27/0.2m deep with a U-shaped profile. They contained no finds but were cut by medieval ridge and furrow remains.
These ditches probably represent field or animal enclosures. The absence of any finds makes dating uncertain but the sterile backfill suggests a prehistoric origin.

{2} The earliest ditch (HER ref. 3655/0/1) was replaced by a series of rectilinear field parcels forming a minimum of three fields. It comprised a segmented ditch on an ENE-WSW alignment (the ditch seen in the trial trenching) anf a perpendicular ditch on a NNW-SSE alignment. The ditches formed entrances 5m and 1.8m wide to three areas. The ditches were between 0.3m-0.7m wide and between 0.25m-0.3m deep.
No finds were recovered but the features were thought to be prehistoric because of the leached fills and absence of artefacts commonly found in features of this nature dating from the late Iron Age onwards.
The arrangement of these ditches strongly suggests that they were designed for the management of stock. As the ditches were narrow and shallow it is likely that they would have functioned in conjunction with hedges to form more permanent and substantial boundaries.
Environmental evidence suggests that these features were set some distance from the focus of domestic occupation or agricultural practice.

<1> Clarke, J., 2013, Archaeological Evaluation of Land at Kettering Road, Walgrave, Northamptonshire July 2013, (checked) (Report). SNN109111.

<2> Muldowney M., 2013, Archaeological Excavation on Land North of Kettering Road, Walgrave, Northamptonshire October to November 2013, p.5,12 (checked) (Report). SNN109457.

Record last edited

Apr 16 2014 12:45PM