SNN110272 - Land at Knotwood Fields Farm, Old Stratford, Northamptonshire: Archaeological evaluation

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in October 2015 at Knotwood Fields Farm, Old Stratford. The evaluation was undertaken to inform a planning application to South Northamptonshire Council for the development of a solar farm. The fieldwork comprised the excavation of fourteen trenches. A previous geophysical survey identified a number of anomalies representing potential archaeological features; these comprised sub-circular anomalies, linear anomalies and backfilled pits, indicative of former settlement activity of probable late prehistoric to Roman date. The evaluation recorded a number of curvilinear ditches, which most likely represent small enclosures and a roundhouse. Pottery dating from the Iron Age was recovered from the silted fills of these ditches. Broadly contemporaneous boundary ditches , containing pottery dating to the Iron Age were also identified. These features probably related to settlement activity and land division, focused at the north-eastern end of the site. Medieval furrows were indicated across the entire site by the geophysical survey; variations in their alignment indicates that the site covers parts of two or more former open fields.