Monument record 7982 - Roman and medieval boundaries, Church Lane

Archaeological investigation has identified evidence of probable Roman cultivation, including possible bedding trenches, as well as a substantial ditch. In the 12th/13th centuries medieval settlement activity included a large boundary ditch and a large rectangular ditch that may have been part of a structure. In the 13th or 14th centuries further pits were excavated, including one with a rich deposit of domestic and culinary waste.

{1} In 2012 two trenches were excavated on land to the west of Church Lane. The ground level in the southern part of the site had been reduced, destroying any potential archaeological features. In the northern part of the site were a small number of Roman and medieval ditches on similar east-west and north-south alignments. The Roman remains comprised a substantial ditch with a small spur curving off its eastern side, cut by a broad, shallow ditch that contained sherds of Roman pottery, Roman tile and fragments of animal bone. The medieval features, a relatively large ditch and a probable ditch terminal, contained a small assemblage of medieval pottery dated to the 12th to 14th centuries, animal bone and residual Roman pottery sherds. Samples taken from the ditches contained burnt cereal grains, indicative of crop processing being carried out nearby.

{2} Archaeological excavation was carried out at a development plot for a new house on the site of the earlier trenching. The excavation revealed further Roman features including possible cultivation plot divisions dating broadly to the 2nd century AD. The next evidence of land use during the 12th/13th centuries includes a substantial boundary ditch, a calf burial, a large rectangular pit that may have been the remains of a structure and several rubbish-filled pits. In the 13th or 14th centuries there was further pit digging including one that had been in-filled with a rich variety of domestic and culinary waste including possible herring bone and marine oyster shells.

<1> Carlyle, S., 2013, Land Off Church Road, Piddington, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation, 2013 (Report). SNN109425.

<2> Planas, M & Wilson, M, 2022, Archaeological investigation on land Adjacent to 34 Church Road, Piddington, Northamptonshire, https://doi.org/10.5284/1113085 (Report). SNN113429.

<3> Crank, N. (Editor), 2022, South Midlands Archaeology (52), p. 75 (Journal). SNN115177.

Record last edited

Jul 23 2024 3:00PM