SNN105992 - Archaeological Excavation at Quinton House School, Upton, Northampton, January - February 2007

Northamptonshire Archaeology carried out archaeological excavation on 0.17ha of land within a walled garden, prior to development for a sports hall, at Quinton House School, Upton, Northampton. A small group of pits or postholes, perhaps part of a circular structure, contained pottery dated to the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age. The continuation of a pit alignment seen in previous excavations to the east was confirmed, although only a single pit lay within the site. Most of a small Iron Age enclosure, probably dating to the later middle Iron Age, was excavated. It may have contained a single roundhouse and perhaps two further structures set within small sub-rectangular enclosures, with pit groups around the margins close to the enclosure ditch. The enclosure lies to the west of an area of more extensive contemporary settlement examined in previous excavations, with the Roman town of Duston lying further to the east. A medieval ditch system may be the North-eastern boundary of Upton deserted medieval village and it dated to between the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. A later medieval stone structure had an internal stone-lined pit and adjacent wall, which had been constructed over the earlier ditch. An associated hollow-way showed evidence of wheel ruts. A number of quarry pits were identified at the west end of the site which produced pottery, clay pipes and glass bottles dating from the late seventeenth century to nineteenth century.