Monument record 819/0/26 - Probable Saxon iron working and boundary ditches, Willow Lane

Archaeological investigation undertaken prior to residential development identified boundary ditches and a number of features associated with iron working including a furnace. Limited dating evidence suggests that the features dated to the Saxon period. Limited evidence of Iron Age activity was also identified.

{1/3} Archaeological trial trench excavation comprising eight trenches identified a single archaeological feature that contained iron smelting debris, including tap slag suggesting an iron-smelting furnace lay nearby. It is interpreted as a part of a channel containing iron smelting debris but is currently not securely dated.

{2} Archaeological excavation in advance of residential development identified a number of archaeological features. The earliest were two possible Iron Age boundary ditches. Subsequent activity probably dated to the mid-late Saxon period, although only a small quantity of dating evidence was found. There was a furnace and adjacent features including a tapping channel and a pit. The slag recovered from the furnace was predominantly associated with smelting with some evidence of smithing, likely bloom smithing. Further boundary ditches post-dated the iron-working activity but were likely to date to a similar period.

<1> Crank, N. (Editor), 2021, South Midlands Archaeology (51), p. 54 (Journal). SNN113326.

<2> Carbonari, P, 2021, Willow Lane, Stanion, Northamptonshire: Archive Report: Archaeological Strip, Map and Sample Excavation (Report). SNN113331.

<3> David Fell, 2020, Willow Lane, Stanion, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Report). SNN116413.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 7:16PM