Monument record 1160/137/12 - Medieval quarry pits, Swan Street

During the 12th century this area was quarried for ironstone

{1} A single pit was hand excavated in the south-west corner of Trench 4. The full extent of the pit lay beyond the limit of the trench so its full dimensions are not known. The sub-rectangular corner of the pit however suggests that it was more than 0.8m long x 0.5m wide. The angle of the side was sharp, suggesting that the pit could be bigger. Its fill was not very different from the overlying soils and it is likely to have been created within an area of open ground and filled in soon after its dis-use. The pit contained a sherd of mid C13th Potterspury ware (although this remained in production to the late C16th).

{2} Excavation undertaken on the east side of Swan Street. A large number of quarry pits were the earliest dated activity on site. Pits were primarily sub-circular in plan, and the majority were up to 1.20m across. Several of the largest pits may have been the principal quarries, with later smaller pits cut in them. Numerous smaller cuts might be side quarries following particularly good quality ironstone seams, or works on a smaller scale. Waste from the quarrying process was dumped back into the quarry cuts in the form of orange-yellow or brown sandy gravel mixed with poorly sorted 20mm-80mm lumps of ironstone. The primary fills of most pits were dumps of quarrying waste infused with silt or loam garden soil.

Finn, C, 2021, From medieval quarry pits to a 19th century foundry at Cow Lane (Swan Street), Northampton, p. 361-385 (Article). SNN112924.

<1> Brown J., 2013, An Archaeological Trial Trench Evaluation at Swan Street Car Park, Northampton July 2013, p.5; https://doi.org/10.5284/1104264 (Report). SNN109174.

<2> Finn, C., 2015, Archaeological investigation and excavation at Cow Lane, Northampton, November 2014, p. 13 (Report). SNN110524.

<3> Horne, B (editor), 2016, South Midlands Archaeology (46), p. 44 (Journal). SNN111326.

Record last edited

Apr 30 2025 3:54PM