Monument record 1663/0/11 - Medieval Building, east of The Berry

Archaeological evaluation identified the stone wall foundations of a medieval building, as well as evidence of an associated structure, drainage ditch and possible pits located to the east of The Berry. Pottery from the features dated to the 12th to 15th centuries.

{1} In Trench 4 removal of topsoil and part of the subsoil revealed wall foundations orientated north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west respectively. These meet at a corner to the north, and seem to represent the foundations of a sizeable building. Each wall was 0.6m wide, had limestone facings and a core of rubble sandstone and limestone. None displayed any obvious signs of having been dressed. The stones were set within a matrix of orange clay with no trace of mortar; three C13th-C15th pottery sherds were recovered from this.
The wall foundation consisted of up to three courses of stone set within a foundation trench filled with loose dark brown clay with occasional large stones, each pitched at an angle. The trench terminated at a point which coincided with a structural division or change.
During cleaning of the wall foundations a possible posthole was encountered in the corner of the building. The post had either been set into the stones of the wall foundation or the latter had been built around the post. One steeply sloping side of the posthole indicated that the post had been set at angle. The cut, alternatively, could have belonged to a linear feature the remainder of which was concealed beneath the stonework.
The excavation revealed the potential complexity of stratigraphy on, under and around the building, and the need for wider area excavation for clarification.
Removal of a 0.1m spit in the interior of the building revealed a compacted horizontal surface of yellow brown clay with small pieces of limestone and occasional pot sherds laid flat. A similar surface was found at roughly the same depth to the exterior of the building. A layer of rounded cobbles set within a loose sandy clay may have been a continuation of interior surface, but did not appear sufficiently consolidated. It is not certain at present whether these layers represent ground surfaces associated with the construction, use or demolition of the building.

Two linear features were found within Trench 3; each was 0.2m wide and cut into natural. In plan these features were perpendicular to each other and may represent a single cross-shaped feature. A segment excavated through one of the features showed it to be 0.14m deep, with near vertical sides, but sloping up at the terminus. There was a possible continuation of the feature to the south-west. A single sherd of C12th/C13th pottery was recovered from the fill. This timber sill-beam feature ran parallel with the wall foundations of the building and it seems probable that it represents either part of the same structure or an associated structure.

A linear feature was found cut into natural clay to the north-east of the wall foundation, and roughly parallel to it. An excavated segment revealed sides sloping down to a flat base at a depth of 0.5m. The sandy clay fill contained a quantity of shelly coarseware pottery. Closer examination established that the character of the cut was more irregular and bulbous than might be expected for a ditch, and it seems more likely that the cut comprises a series of intercutting pits. Given their alignment to the wall foundation, they may be somehow associated with the stone structure.

Within Trench 2 a single linear feature cut through the subsoil at the southern end of the trench. It was 0.28m wide x 0.40m deep, orientated east-west. From its yellow grey silt fill were recovered two sherds of medieval pottery and a single fragment of animal bone. The feature has been interpreted as a medieval drainage ditch or gully. No other archaeological features were observed during the evaluation.

<1> Edgeworth M.; Wilson M., 1999, Danesfield Farmyard, Rothersthorpe, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Field Evaluation, p.9-11 (checked) (Report). SNN63145.

<2> Lightfoot M.; Fell D., 2002, An Archaeological Evaluation and Watching Brief at Danesfield Farm, Rothersthorpe, Northamptonshire, p.15 (checked) (Report). SNN102142.

Record last edited

Aug 13 2021 1:32PM