Monument record 1160/256/4 - Late Saxon and medieval occupation (House 7), Freeschool Street

Part of the St Peter's Street excavations primarily undertaken in 1973. Six post-holes of middle Saxon date or earlier were recognised within the plot. A grubenhaus probably belonged to the early part of the late Saxon period; also in in this phase was a timber building with an associated metalled surface. Freeschool Street was established during the medieval period, but the plot remained as waste/cultivated ground until some point in the 15th century, when a stone house was built. It appears to have been burnt down in c1500.

{1} Excavations on St Peter's Street, mainly undertaken during 1973.
The plot for House 7 lay on the north side of St Peter's Street on the Freeschool Street frontage.
The earliest features identified within this plot comprised six post-holes containing probabe early-middle Saxon pottery. A Grubenhaus formed of irregularly shaped pit with one surviving posthole; forging or tapping slag recovered from fill. It probably dated to the early part of the late Saxon period.
A late Saxon Timber building; floor formed by clay area associated with posthole; other postholes present but form of building difficult to detect; antler tine recovered. Late Saxon pits associated with timber structures but relationship uncertain; copper alloy bracelet; iron dagger blade fragment; iron awl; late Saxon type decorated iron prick spur & possible matching iron buckle; piece of late medieval/post medieval window glass thought to be intrusive; tapping slag or furnace bottom also present; lathe-turned bowl of birch recovered; also bone bobbin. Metalled area forming probable yard area or possibly even early street alignment along Freeschool Street.

Subsequently, a0.75m thick layer of homogeneous soil built up over long period, pits cut through from various levels. Finds include large quantities of forging slag and/or furnace bottom & copperworking slag

Stone building dating to end of C15th; larger than properties fronting St Peter's Street; alleyway at south end of structure between Houses 6 & 7; rooms in house defined by internal walls & also internal postholes; other stone arrangements in south end of building; two levels of clay floor observed; house was destroyed in same fire as others in St Peter's Street circa 1500; finds included clay pipe fragments;Copper alloy objects: simply decorated buckle; fragment of second buckle thought to date to C14/15th; cast vessel rim fragment; 'paperclip' rivet; three rings; four pins;Iron objects: hinge fragment; flat-headed staple; swivel hook;Small amount of forging slag & tapping slag recovered;Glass: late/post medieval window glass fragment; two glass beaker fragments;Fragment of a Purbeck marble mortar was recovered from House 7;Coins: intrusive late C18th 'medley halfpenny' forgery; Nuremberg jetton circa 1520;Stone objects: millstone fragment possibly re-used as hearth stone in centre of clay floor;

Later features comprised a rectangular stone-lined cess pit; 3.5ft x 2.5ft; contained small group of ceramics & large quantity of clay pipe fragments dated to 1830-50; thirteen types of clay bowl from 166 individual pieces; one type of twenty bowls has incised script reading "HURST COW X STR"; three other bowl types carry on spur initials FS in relief; latter come from workshops of Francis Street who made pipes in Northampton between 1826-50.

<1> Williams J.H., 1979, St Peter's Street, Northampton: Excavations 1973-1976, p.63-67 (checked) (Report). SNN342.

<2> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1975, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1974, p.172-73 (checked) (Report). SNN41605.

Record last edited

Nov 17 2020 10:29AM