Monument record 849/0/77 - Roman quarry pit and Medieval activity, Mill Lane

Medieval activity comprising boundaries, enclosures and a possible structure dating from the 12th century. Few finds were recovered and the site was probably agriculatural in nature rather than an occupation site. It was abandoned during the 14th century

{1} Trial trench evaluation at Mill Lane. Three of the four trenches contained features; the ground level of the fourth trench on the lane frontage was lower indicating it may have been landscaped. The features comprised ditches, gullies and beamslots, representing occupation and possible plot boundaries. The pottery suggests that the activity was late Saxon/earlier medieval and continued into the 13th or 14th centuries. Animal bones and charred plant remains also survived, although in small quantities.

{2} Excavation and watching brief of areas to be impacted by development. The earliest activity was an amorphous feature containing sherds of 1st century AD pottery (early Roman) interpreted as a quarry pit. Subsequent activity dated to the medieval period, limited to the 12th-14th centuries; a series of gullies were interpreted as probable land boundaries and stock enclosures. A group of postholes at the western edge of the site may have been a small structure. A significant boundary ditch, with multiple recuts, was observed aligned north-west to south-east through the centre of the site.
Based on the excavated evidence, paucity of finds and environmental data, the site has been interpreted as agricultural in nature rather than an occupation site. Based on the pottery sequence and lack of any later features or finds the site appears to have been abandoned during the 14th Century before being re-occupied by at least the early 19th Century.

<1> Browning, J., 2014, An Archaeological Evaluation at 17 Mill Lane, Kislingbury, Northamptonshire, 2014 (Report). SNN111209.

<2> Cherrington, R., 2017, Land at 17 Mill Road, Kislingbury, Northamptonshire: An archaeological excavation, 2014 (Report). SNN111210.

Record last edited

Aug 21 2018 9:21AM