Monument record 5975/0/19 - Probable medieval boundary ditches

Probable former plot boundaries that may be associated with plots of land extending from a possible medieval street frontage along the western side of Guilsborough Road

{1} Trench 1 has less evidence for disturbance and here four ditches were recorded. Single sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from two of these, one with evidence for abrasion. The curvilinear ditch had a much darker fill and its morphological characteristics are reminiscent of an eaves-drip ring gully and could be part of a roundhouse structure. The position of the terminal indicates a possible east-facing opening. Stratigraphically however, this ditch is later than at least one of the other ditches containing a sherd of medieval pottery.It is possible that either there are a number of medieval ditches surviving in the north-west part of the site with a morphologically unusual curvilinear feature, or the features identified represent prehistoric, possibly Iron Age, activity with low levels of intrusive medieval pottery derived from the overlying mobile sandy soils.

{2} The linear medieval features found within Plot 1 and Plot 4 are likely to have functioned as boundary ditches and may be associated with plots of land extending from a possible medieval street frontage along the western side of Guilsborough Road. The medieval ditches are a fortuitous survival as the extensive post-medieval quarrying activity within the site is likely to have removed all other archaeological features. Two sherds of shelly coarseware were found in one of the ditches. Three of the ditches observed during the trial trench excavation actually appear to have been quarry infill.

<1> Muldowney, M., 2014, Archaeological trial trench evaluation on land at 15 Guilsborough Road, West Haddon, Checked (Report). SNN110148.

<2> Sharman T., 2015, Archaeological observation, investigation, recording and analysis of land at 15 Guilsborough Road, West Haddon, Northamptonshire May, June and November 2015, checked (Report). SNN110398.

<3> Horne, B (editor), 2016, South Midlands Archaeology (46), p. 45 (Journal). SNN111326.

Record last edited

Jan 24 2019 12:36PM