Monument record 8547/1 - Early/Middle Saxon ironworking site

Excavation has revealed the remains of at least two iron smelting furnaces along with further hearths and possible ovens. Charcoal from one of the furnaces was dated to the early Saxon period. There was also a significant quantity of Roman tile associated with some of the features.

{1} A rounded furnace whose overall plan was uncertain but could represent the remains of a shaft furnace. At the western end of this furnace was a solidified in situ pool of tap slag, defing the position of the shaft with a stoke hole at the eastern end. The furnace appears to have had no lining but uses the natural clay base in the soil horizon. A single piece of in situ tegula was the only find. The furnace may have been rebuilt on more than one occasion though this is hard to substantiate. Two pits were cut into the natural with evidence of scorching deriving from the introduction of the dumped hot slags. The features are suggested as waste pits possibly reusing pits originally dug for raw material needed in the metal working process.

A detailed magnetometer survey was carried out in the garden area; evidence of a further possible furnace was found in the south-western corner of the garden and a large swathe of high positive and negative magnetic readings towards the centre of the plot were seen as indicative of slag dumping. A reconnaissance survey was carried along the proposed route for the access road and services immediately to the north of the garden wall. Slag debris could be seen in earth from rabbit holes. Two detailed grids investigated the results further. They indicated a probably continuation of the spread of slag debris. The survey confirmed the results of the excavation , but it should be noted that the known furnace and slag deposits both give similar readings and therefore both types of feature could occur in the areas identified.

{2} The well-preserved remains of an iron-smelting furnace of oval plan form. The furnace was 1.80m long. At the western end of this furnace was a solidified in situ pool of tap slag. A roof tile in the furnace structure indicates a Roman or later date.

{3} An excavation of the site was undertaken in 1998. The furnace found during the earlier evaluation was found to be two intercutting iron smelting furnaces. Typologically the furnaces were similar to Roman examples excavated at Byfield, being shallow irregular ovals in shape about 2.5m long, 1.5m wide and up to 0.45m deep. Both showed intense burning on their bases and one contained a partly preserved in situ slag floor. A sample of oak heartwood from the fill of the central part of the furnace was sent for radiocarbon dating; a date of cal AD 560-690 (early Saxon period) was obtained. The tegula from this feature, and indeed the rest of the Roman material from the site, appears to be residual.

Some 2m to the south-east was a key-hole shaped feature, probably a further furnace or a hearth, comprising a circular bowl with a flue extending to the south-east. Immediately to the east were two linear hearths, up to 0.7m wide and 0.13m deep with heavily burnt bases. A truncated feature close-by was probably a stratigraphically late oven. Further featrues included several pits and depressions, some of which had clearly been utilised for dumping slag. Several ditches and gullies were also found, one, aligned north-east to south-west, contained Roman pottery and fragments of imbrex, while the others were aligned north-west to south-east and contained small sherds of both Roman and medieval pottery.

{4} There was insufficient of the furnace structures surviving to be sure of their ‘type’, although they
probably both had slag-tapping facilities and would probably conform to Type 3 or Type 4 in the
conventional classification. The linear ovens are similar to the ‘channel hearths’ at Bulwick and elsewhere. At Bulwick they appeared in groups aligned north-south, outnumbering the furnaces at that site. They were interpreted as smelting furnaces, equivalent to Type 3 at Wakerley, although no diagnostic residues were present. They were perhaps more likely used for roasting ore prior to smelting, or for forging bloom afterwards, although again supporting evidence is lacking.

<1> Prentice, J and Maull, A., 1998, Fineshade Abbey, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation (Report). SNN39567.

<2> Chapman A. (Editor), 1998-9, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1998, p.180 Fineshade (unchecked) (Chapter). SNN104054.

<3> MUDD A., 2005, Excavations at The Kitchen Garden, Fineshade Abbey, Northamptonshire 1998: Post-Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design (Report). SNN105451.

<4> Mudd, A., 2006, Early to Middle Saxon iron smelting furnaces at the Kitchen Garden, Fineshade Abbey, Northamptonshire (Article). SNN110577.

Record last edited

Jan 23 2017 9:42AM