Monument record 9407/0/9 - Possible medieval boundaries

Linear ditches- probably medieval and associated with the open field system

{1} There were a number of positive linear anomalies that may have been ditches.

{2} Archaeological features were identified in two trenches, both positioned towards the south-west corner of the site. Three parallel ditches were identified in one trench and a single ditch in another. All ditches had a north-south alignment. One of the ditches contained potery sherds dating to the 13th to 16th centuries AD, whilst another ditch contained pottery dating to the mid-12th-14th centuries. It is likely that the ditches represent the same feature, being part of a medieval enclosure or former field system.

{3} The investigation revealed nine linear ditches: three were narrow gullies of varying alignments, the other six occured in two incutting groups of three aligned north-east to south-west. A single sherd of abraded Roman pottery was retrieved from the fill of one of the ditches, although it is assumed that this was residual and that the dating material from the evaluation was more accurate. The limited number of finds indicates that the ditches were not located close to settlement and probably represent a field/enclosure system.

<1> Bartlett A. & Richmond, A., 2012, Land off Compton Way, Earls Barton, Northamptonshire: Report on Archaeological Geophysical Survey 2012, p.13 (Report). SNN110331.

<2> Coates G.; Richmond A., 2013, Archaeological evaluation trial trenching: Land off Compton Way, Earls Barton, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN110330.

<3> Newton, A., 2014, Land off Compton Way, Earls Barton, Northamptonshire: An archaeological investigation via 'strip, map and sample' (Report). SNN110329.

Record last edited

Jun 20 2016 2:43PM