Monument record 2851/1 - Possible late Iron Age/Roman or Anglo-Saxon field systems, north of Harborough Road

Probable field system or series of paddocks of ambiguous date. Dating evidence was very limited, with only a few small, abraded sherds of late Iron Age/Roman pottery and a single larger sherd of Anglo-Saxon Ipswich Ware.

{1, 3} In September 2018 archaeological evaluation comprising 20 trenches at the site of a proposed substation was undertaken. The evaluation identified two concentrations of archaeological features, situated in the north and south-western parts of the evaluation area. All the features were ditches and it is likely that they represent the boundaries of enclosure complexes or groups of fields. Only two features produced dating evidence - one in the northern group and one in the south-western group. In both instances the pottery was Roman, and further Roman pottery was recovered from the subsoil of a third trench. The small amount of pottery recovered from the site is indicative of peripheral activity, perhaps suggesting that the features were not particularly close to any associated areas of domestic occupation.

{2, 4} Archaeological excavation on the site of a proposed new substation and access road. The excavation revealed a substantial ditch on a north-south alignment, and an adjacent complex of slighter boundary ditches and enclosures extending over an area of at least 275m. The dating evidence from the ditches is very ambiguous, being limited to a few sherds of late Iron Age or early Roman pottery and at least one sherd of Ipswich Ware dated to AD 750-850 AD. The ditches are likely to have defined fields or paddocks of agricultural use and may date to the late Iron Age-early Roman period, with a separate phase of Saxon activity, or date to the Saxon period or later, with residual earlier pottery.

<1> Crank, N. (Editor), 2019, South Midlands Archaeology (49), p. 83 (Journal). SNN111755.

<2> Crank, N. (Editor), 2020, South Midlands Archaeology (50), p. 90 (Journal). SNN112426.

<3> Brady, K, 2018, Braybrooke Substation, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Report). SNN114424.

<4> Scott, I and Howsam, C, 2019, Braybrooke Substation, Northamponshire: Archaeological Excavation Report (Report). SNN114463.

Record last edited

Jan 6 2023 10:34AM