Monument record 8146/1 - Probable late Roman field system and Saxon burial, Butcher's Lane

Archaeological observation prior to development revealed a number of Roman ditches with a small number of associated pits and postholes. The ditches were probably part of a wider field system. There was also part of a possible trackway. A prone inhumation found in the top of one of the ditches was radiocarbon date to the mid-7th-early 8th century. The position of the burial and its apparent isolation may mark it out as an early/middle Saxon 'deviant' burial.

{1} Archaeological observation undertaken in 2017 prior to residential development. A number of shallow ditches were identified possibly defining a rectilinear enclosure or field. The remains of a possible trackway lay to the north and some pits and postholes were also observed. A small pottery assemblage points to a single phase of activity dating to the 3rd and/or 4th century AD.
Inserted into the top of one of the ditches was the prone burial of a possible young male probably aged between 16 and 20 years old. Radiocarbon dating of a fragment of the femur gave a date from the mid-7th to early 8th centuries AD (636-714 cal AD @ 88.5% confidence). The prone placement of the body in a very tight grave cut reusing the Roman ditch marks the burial out as a 'deviant' burial.

<1> Beers, P. and Chinnock, C., 2017, Archaeological observation, investigation, recording and analysis on land at Butcher's Lane, Pytchley, Northamptonshire, October 2017 (Report). SNN111615.

<2> Crank, N. (Editor), 2020, South Midlands Archaeology (50), p. 86 (Journal). SNN112426.

<3> Wolframm-Murray, Y, 2021, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 2019, p. 469 (Note). SNN113025.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 8:08PM