Monument record 1160/395/10 - Late Saxon/Medieval building, wall and pits

A sunken-featured building, a length of wall and group of pits. Most of the pits were rubbish pits, but one may have been the remains of a small mortar-mixing pit.

{1} A sunken-featured building was cut by pits dating to 850-1150, although there was no direct evidence for the date of its construction. The building measured 2.4m wide and 3.57m long and was sunk to a depth of 0.6m with postholes placed centrally on three sides and one in the south-eastern corner. A group of pits and associated short length of wall lay adjacent. The wall cut through the pits and suggests that stone boundary walls or outbuildings were being built at this date. A small pit to the north-east of the wall was filled with mortar and could be the remains of a small mortar-mixing pit, also indicative of local building in stone.
The pits produced a fairly consistent assemblage of animal bones, with a bias towards head and lower limb which might indicate that it was butchery waste. Cattle and sheep/goat were the most common species, with horse, dog, cat and pig also present. One pit contained a large charred plant assemblage including barley and oats.

<1> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 2005, Saxon, medieval and post-medieval settlement at Sol Central, Marefair, Northampton, p. 8 and 13 (Full Report). SNN105717.

<2> Steele A.; Wroe-Brown R., 2001, Sol Central Marefair, Northampton - An Archaeological Post-Excavation Assessment And Updated Project (Report). SNN101157.

Record last edited

Sep 8 2016 1:32PM