Monument record 943 - Possible Prehistoric Activity, north-west of Glassthorpehill

Cropmarks of two rectilinear enclosures and a possible boundary ditch have been identified on aerial photographs. Geophysical survey confirmed the cropmark evidence and suggested that further enclosures were present to the north.

{1} (SP663514) Possibly part of an enclosure, identified in 1978.

{4} An Anglo-Saxon settlement in Fields 8 and 9 comprised a large irregular enclosure with a smaller internal enclosure, likely domestic, and a second northern enclosure, possibly contemporary. Limited pottery dating to the 5th-9th centuries was recovered from Trenches 160, 162, and 173, while cereal grains of wheat, barley, and oat, along with charred fragments possibly representing bread or porridge, indicate mixed cultivation and food preparation. Features in Field 9 may relate to a wider field system extending northwards. After abandonment, no further settlement evidence was found; medieval ridge and furrow across the site indicates continued agricultural use.

<1> COWLEY D.E.; FOARD G.R., 1979, Aerial Archaeology in Northamptonshire, p. 96 (Article). SNN60721.

<2> Northamptonshire HER Collection of Aerial Photographs, NCCAP: 6661/008 & 021 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<3> Wilkinson,D, and Langston, A,, 2021, Geophysical Survey Report of Glassthorpe Solar Farm (Report). SNN113546.

<4> Sian Thomas, 2023, Archaeological field evaluation: Flore, Glassthorpe (Northamptonshire) (Report). SNN116965.

Record last edited

Dec 19 2025 3:38PM