Monument record 1160/0/48 - Middle Saxon mortar mixers, building and boundary, St Peter's Street

In 1974 three mortar mixers were found at the west of the St Peter's Street excavations. Most mortar mixers (over 70 are now known across Europe) date from the 8th to the 11th century and are associated with high-status secular and ecclesiastical sites. The south-eastern corner of a timber building was identified on the same alignment as the timber hall to the north-east as well as as a gully.

{1} Three mortar mixers; No associated features identified; sand deposits & lime slurries cover whole area which probably represent spillage from mixing; C14 dates suggest beginning of C8th; tapping slag & fragments of furnace bottom also recovered; detailed discussion; A building comprising a continuous timber slot with individual postholes was found immediately to the west of the mortar mixers. No floor levels were found and the slot deepened to south. There were indications of spaced post-in-trench construction; not clear whether additional postholes represent buttressing or another phase of building. Most of the building lay outside the area of excavation, extending west (into the Scheduled Monument).

{2} Each of the three mortar mixers comprised a basin 2-3m in diameter cut into the natural ironstone and lined with wattle work; a central post supported a beam from which a number of paddles were suspended. The beam was rotated by pushing around the central post

{4} Update with regards to examples known across Europe and evidence from modern reconstructions.

<1> Williams J.H., 1979, St Peter's Street, Northampton: Excavations 1973-1976, p.72, 84+118-133 (checked) (Report). SNN342.

<2> Williams J.H.; Shaw M.; Denham V., 1985, Middle Saxon Palaces at Northampton, p. 21 (Report). SNN420.

<3> Chapman, A, 2021, Appendix 2: The Radiocarbon Dates, p. 67 (Appendix). SNN112910.

<4> Williams, J H, 2021, Appendix 3: Mortar Mixers, p.69-77 (Appendix). SNN112911.

Record last edited

Aug 20 2025 4:06PM