Monument record 9621/0/17 - Possible Neolithic boundaries, Banbury Lane

Two ditches were revealed that belonged to a significantly earlier phase of activity than middle Iron Age settlement. The east–west ditch contained seven sherds of late Neolithic Grooved Ware pottery

{1} A linear feature, probably representing a ditch, crossed the field. It extends into the field to the south, where it is set at roughly right angles to an east-west aligned ditch. The two ditches may form a large rectangular enclosure of field system extending beyond the bounds of the site.
The ditch was located in trench 5: it was aligned N - S and measured 1.94m wide and 0.56m deep with a U shaped profile.
The ditch was also seen in trench 7: it was aligned E - W and measures 2.48m wide and 0.95m deep with a U shaped profile.

{4} Two ditches were revealed that belonged to a significantly earlier phase of activity than the Phase 2 middle Iron Age settlement, although their precise date is uncertain. The east–west ditch contained seven sherds of late Neolithic Grooved Ware pottery, though all seven sherds came from a single segment, and the possibility that they were residual cannot be ruled out. The north–south ditch was stratigraphically earlier than the Iron Age settlement of Phase 2, but the only artefact recovered from it was a single abraded sherd of middle Iron Age pottery that is likely to have been residual. It is unclear whether these two ditches were contemporaneous, as the junction between them lay beyond the excavated area. The east-west ditch had a distinctive V-shaped profile, measuring 1.6–2.3m wide and 1–1.3m deep. The concentration of redeposited natural clay in the upper fill and the absence of later pottery suggest that it was deliberately backfilled prior to the Iron Age occupation of the site. The north-south ditch was re-cut at least twice along its length, with a profile that varied from a shallow U-shape that was 0.35m deep near the centre of its length, to having steep, convex sides and measuring up to 1.2m or more deep at the northern and southern extents. The boundary also increased in width from a minimum of 0.9m in the south to 2.1m at the north end.

<1> Clarke J.; Walford J., 2009, Geophysical Survey and Archaeological Trial Excavation at Land off Banbury Lane, Kings Sutton, Northamptonshire October 2009, p.3,4,8 (checked) (Report). SNN107926.

<2> Chapman P. (Ed.), 2010, Archaeology in Northamptonshire, 2009 (36), 36/187 (checked) (Article). SNN107503.

<3> Horne B. (Editor), 2010, South Midlands Archaeology (40), 40/19 (checked) (Journal). SNN107083.

<4> Ingham, D., 2016, Banbury Lane, Kings Sutton, Northamptonshire: Archaeological excavation, p. 9 (Report). SNN110549.

<5> Ingham, D, 2017, A Middle Iron Age settlement at Banbury Lane, King's Sutton, p. 69-84 (Article). SNN110993.

Record last edited

Apr 22 2021 12:11PM