Monument record 4611/0/18 - Late Bronze Age to early Iron Age landscape, Harlestone Quarry

Archaeological excavation in advance of ironstone extraction identified elements of a late Bronze Age to early Iron Age landscape including the southern part of a probable large enclosur A scatter of pits, largely within the enclosure, contained domestic material including pottery and hearth debris. Two pits contained pyramidal fired loom weights and one of these pits has been radiocarbon dated to the late Bronze Age.

{1} Archaeological excavation was undertaken over a number of years ahead of ironstone extraction. A continuous curvilinear ditch system at the northern end of the quarry, spanning both the 2011 and 2014 excavation areas, may have been the southern half of a large ditched enclosure. It would have either an oval or D-shaped plan, with a rounded right angled corner to the east and bifurcating to the west where there was both a gently curving ditch and a straight ditch, probably a later addition. If this ditch system was part of an enclosure, it would have measured in excess of 150m east-west and in excess of 90m south-north. An area of 1.0ha lay within the excavated sites, and the enclosure might have encompassed as much as 2.0-2.5ha. Various lengths of gully may have been internal divisions. This enclosure most probably predates the nearby pits scattered across the area as there was no residual material that could be related to the pit assemblages within the ditch fills and this is interpreted as suggesting that the ditches came first and had partially silted before the earliest episodes of pit digging. The pits have been radiocarbon dated to the late Bronze Age.

The pits to the north-west, largely within the limits of the ditched enclosure but including some pits further south, include one pit radiocarbon dated to the late Bronze Age, and this and a further pit to the south contained pyramidal loomweights and domestic hearth debris.

The scatter of small pits and postholes defines small areas of settlement, perhaps single houses with relatively short lifetimes. The late Bronze Age pits were probably closely related to the use of the large enclosure, which was perhaps used for stock control. A settled presence would seem to be most clearly indicated by the two pits containing loomweights, indicating the likely presence of roofed structures that left no below ground evidence.

A cluster of pits and postholes to the east probably derive from an episode of short-term occupation within the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age. The largest pottery assemblage, 310g, came from an isolated pit to the north and included a vessel with fingertip impressions on the shoulder, a feature characteristic of the late Bronze Age into early Iron Age, and a vessel with a handle or lug. To the south, there was a possible four-post structure, with a rectangular plan, measuring 1.9m east to west by 1.4m north to south. Alder charcoal from one of the pits has given a date at the end of the early Iron Age (535-395Cal BC, 2380+/-30 BP, Beta-402867).

<1> Chapman, A, Foard, A, & Clarke, J., 2015, Excavation of a Bronze Age and early Iron Age landscape at Harlestone Quarry, Northamptonshire 2007-2014, P. 12-20 (Report). SNN110518.

<2> Chapman, A, Clarke, J, and Foard, A, 2017, A Bronze Age and Early Iron Age landscape at Harlestone Quarry, Northampton, p. 37-67 (Article). SNN110992.

Record last edited

Jul 19 2023 11:27AM