Monument record 5454/0/2 - Probable mid-late Iron Age activity, Kingfisher Way

Archaeological investigation identified a ditch aligned east to west and a small number of pits. Pottery dating to the middle-late iron Age was recovered from one pit

{1} A ditch recorded in two of the trenches were similarly aligned and were assumed to be of the same ditch. A single piece of worked flint, a secondary flake, was of broad prehistoric date. Trench 5 contained a pit. The pit was sub-circular with concave sides and flat base. It contained a single deposit of a loosely compacted mid black-brown silt-sand with 10% small fire-cracked pebbles. Within the backfill were the partial remains of a single, thin-bodied, hand-made vessel of Mid-Late Iron Age pottery (East Midland Scored Ware). Two tertiary flint flakes were also recovered, of later prehistoric date. Three hazel nut shell fragments were recovered from the environmental sample, suggesting some consumption of wild food

{2} A linear ditch, with a recut, aligned east to west was identified. The earlier cut on the south side was up to 0.54m wide and 0.38m deep with a sloping side and concave base. The fill comprised firm mid brown sandy silt. The recut was V-shaped in profile, up to 1.56m wide and 0.76m deep. The basal fill was only present in the central and western sections and comprised brown-grey sandy silt. This was overlain by friable mid brown sandy silt. Both fills appear to derive from natural silting.

The ditch is part of a small group of features in the same area indicating a low-level of activity, most likely a field system located away from contemporary settlement. The re-cutting of the ditch indicates it was in use over a period of time, and would have represented a well-established part of the agricultural landscape. A small quantity of mid-late Iron Age pottery recovered in the preceding evaluation from a nearby pit was the only dating evidence.

A pit in the southern part of the site was dated to the Iron Age pit in the preceding evaluation. The remaining unexcavated part was removed but no further artefacts were recovered. The pit was oval measuring 0.92m x 0.88m, and 0.32m deep, steep-sided in profile with a depression in the base. The basal depression was filled with dark grey-brown friable sandy silt which contained a number of stones, possible the remnants of packing for a post. This was overlain by friable mid grey-brown sandy silt .
A feature in the north-west corner of the site may be an elongated pit or a ditch terminal that extends beyond the northern limit of the site. It was 1.55m wide and 0.42m deep, with gently sloping sides and a broad concave base . The fill comprised dark brown sandy silt. An elongated pit in the north-east corner of the site was 4.0m long and 1.9m wide with rounded ends. It had a shallow U-shaped profile 0.3m deep filled with mid grey-brown sandy silt.

<1> Speed G., 2012, An Archaeological Evaluation on Land South of Kingfisher Way, Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, checked (Report). SNN109419.

<2> Yates,A., Muldowney, M., and Taylor, E., 2014, Archaeological excavation at Kingfisher Way, Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, checked (Report). SNN110108.

Record last edited

Dec 12 2019 11:35AM