Monument record 3734 - Probable mid-late Iron Age settlement, south-east of Grange Farm

Geophysical survey and trial trench excavation identified mid-late Iron Age settlement including a small ditched enclosure, pits and a possible kiln/hearth. The settlement may be associated with further features to the west, which were identified as cropmarks but which may have been destroyed by the farmbuildings.

{2} Archaeological trial trench excavation was undertaken ahead of the Northampton Western Relief Road development. Trenches were excavated south-east of Grange Farm to test geophysical anomalies. The trenches confirmed the presence of significant archaeological deposits where predicted, but also in greater density and complexity than suggested by the geophysical survey. The area of greatest complexity lay in Trenches 72 and 73 where a series of intercutting ditches and pits yielded middle-late Iron Age pottery. Heat-affected deposits in Trench 65 may be the remains of a kiln/hearth, but the nature of the feature could not be determined during this phase. A curving ditch in Trench 84 truncated the pit alignment (4890/0/2) and contained middle Iron Age pottery.

<1> Harrison, D, 2018, Northampton Western Relief Road, Northamptonshire: Geophysical Survey (Report). SNN112236.

<2> Lawrence, S and Fellingham, A, 2019, Northampton North-west Relief Road: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Report). SNN112235.

<3> Crank, N. (Editor), 2020, South Midlands Archaeology (50), p. 91 (Journal). SNN112426.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2025 4:11PM