Monument record 6821/0/3 - Site of a Middle Bronze Age trackway and later ditches

A pair of parallel ditches spaced c7m apart were traced for 60m in a north-south alignment. The ditches lay either side of a broad, shallow hollow-way with evidence of a possible metalled surface. Animal bone from one of the ditch fills was radiocarbon dated to 1437-1288 cal BC. Another ditch on a similar alignment was probably contemporary, while a later ditch cut across the trackway

{1} The arrangement of features may indicate remnants of a trackway, which was identified by geophysical survey. However, the features are disturbed by a buried pipeline, immediately to the north of the trench, and their surviving extent is thought to be extremely limited as a result. This possible trackway is aligned towards the late Iron Age enclosure, identified in the earlier stages of evaluation, although no physical relationship or datable material has been identified.

The ditches lay parallel and were 5.90m apart. The dimensions and profile of each ditch were comparable, both measuring roughly 1.00m wide by 0.38m deep. No finds were recovered from either ditch. Between the two parallel ditches lay a broad shallow depression, which has been interpreted as a hollow-way. The edges of the hollow-way were 0.8m and 1.0m from either ditch, and the depression was 4.1m wide by 0.30m deep.

{2} Mitigation work in advance of road construction involved stripping two similar sized areas (20m by 18m) either side of an existing pipeline. The possible trackway was identified in both areas as a shallow hollow-way flanked by two parallel ditches, extending for c57m north-south across the site. The ditches were laid between 5.3m-6m apart. Small quantities of animal bone from one of the ditch sections was deemed suitable material for radiocarbon dating and provided a middle Bronze Age date of 1437–1288 cal BC (95.4% confidence, 3110±30BP, Beta 505223). The broad, shallow hollow-way forming the trackway between had evidence of a possible metalled surface. Other features included a further ditch on a similar alignment which was probaby of a similar date as well as alater ditch which cut across the trackway.

<1> Brown, J., 2015, Further archaeological evaluation for the A45 Northampton to Daventry Link Road, January 2015, p. 20 (Report). SNN110326.

<2> Morris, S., 2018, Archaeological mitigation along the route of the A45 Northampton to Daventry Link Road Northamptonshire September 2015 to January 2017: Assessment Report and Updated Project Design, p. 20-22 (Report). SNN111582.

Record last edited

Apr 23 2025 6:39PM