SNN102140 - Archaeological excavation of land to the rear of the co-op, 5 St Osyth's Lane, Oundle, Northamptonsh

An archaeological excavation was undertaken of land to the rear of the Co-op, 5 St Osyth’s Lane, Oundle because the site lay within an area of known archaeological activity from the prehistoric period to the present day. Evidence of prehistoric activity was identified through the recovery of a few worked flint flakes and indicates an transient usage of the site, probably peripheral to an area of occupation. A single fragment of redeposited Roman pottery was recovered. The area appears to have been first utilised in the Saxo-Norman period. Ditches, gullies, pits and postholes of this period were identified, along with a ditch parallel to St Osyth’s Lane on the east side of the excavation and perhaps defining the rear of a street front property. A similar level of utilisation continued into the earlier medieval period, though there was some evidence for a timber structure, probably non-occupational, in the area. Additionally a large boundary ditch, on the west side, parallel to the modern street, was created in the medieval period. Reutilization of the area after a period of reduction in activity took place from the 18th century.