Monument record 2253/4/3 - Medieval trackway or parallel boundary ditches, Jack's Green

Two parallel ditches aligned north-east to south-west recorded over a distance of c210m by geophysical survey. Trial trench excavation did not find any dating evidence in the ditch fills. The lack of erosion or rutting between the ditches suggests that they were more likely to be boundary ditches. The ditches appear to be a continuation of ditch and bank earthworks recorded to the north in Great Byards Sale.

{1} Geophysical survey undertaken in 2018 identified, in the east of the survey area, two parallel linear anomalies, spaced c6m apart and aligned roughly north-east to south-west. These probably represent the
flanking ditches of a trackway, and may relate to similarly parallel linear features recorded in the woodland to the north and south. At their northern end they intersect with other ditches, possibly defining a partial rectangular enclosure.

{2} Two parallel linear anomlaies were recorded in the geophysical survey over c210m. These anomalies were investigated during the subsequent trial trench excavation in four of the trenches. No datable material was recovered from the ditches, however, the ditches were recorded cutting the remnant subsoil, which may indicate their relative modernity. Although identified as a possible trackway there was no evidence for erosion or rutting between the ditches and they may represent parallel boundary ditches.

{3} The ditches that form the two sides of the ‘trackway’ most probably relate to the coppicing of the Walk of Sulehay, a part of the Cliffe Bailiwick of the Rockingham Forest. Across the northern arm of the excavation area, a series of small, roughly circular features were observed.No securely stratified finds were recovered from these features. However, where examples of these ‘postholes’ interacted with the trackway ditches, they uniformly cut the upper fills. As such, they are likely to be post-medieval to modern in date.

<1> Walford, J, 2018, Archaeological geophysical survey at Jack’s Green, King’s Cliffe
Northamptonshire (Report). SNN111551.

<2> Shipley, A. and Cronogue-Freeman, C., 2018, Archaeological trial trench evaluation at Jack's Green, Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, August 2018 (Report). SNN111552.

<3> Douthwaite, A, & Reid, A, 2019, Archaeological mitigation works on land at Rockingham Forest Park, Wansford Road, King's Cliffe, Northamptonshire, February-March 2019 (Report). SNN111932.

<3> Finn, C, 2020, Archaeological mitigation on land at Rockingham Forest Park, Wansford Road, King's Cliffe, Northamptonshire, https://doi.org/10.5284/1083484 (Digital archive). SNN112459.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 8:10PM