SNN108110 - Archaeological trial trench evaluation on land west of Earls Barton Quarry, Northamptonshire August 2007

Northamptonshire Archaeology conducted a trial excavation on c29ha of arable land to the west of Earls Barton Quarry, Northampton on behalf of Phoenix Consulting Archaeology Ltd and their client Hanson Aggregates. The site lies in the floodplain of the River Nene within a landscape known to contain important Bronze Age remains. As a result of the fieldwork a small number of archaeological features, including a single human cremation, were discovered. Althought not firmly dated, the features are thought to be roughly contemporary with an upstanding Bronze Age barrow which occupies a position in the centre of the application area (SAM17135). Further work on environmental samples may help date the cremation deposit and facilitate comment on the floodplain's palaeoenvironment.