SNN110468 - Archaeological evaluation at The Ridge/Doddington Road, Great Doddington, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, January 2014

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken on land at The Ridge and Doddington Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. This was in order to determine the archaeological implications of a proposed solar farm development at the site. The site lies in an area of dense archaeological activity. Immediately to the northwest of the site prehistoric flints, Roman pottery, stone roof tile and a Roman coin have been found. A Roman stone-walled building and ditches containing Roman pottery have also been observed in pipeline trenches across the area. Enclosures of late Iron Age-Roman form have also been recorded nearby. A scatter of early-middle Saxon pottery indicating a probable settlement of the period has been recorded in the central-eastern part of the site, and extending to the south. Remnants of ridge and furrow of the medieval field system have been identified in and around the site. A prior geophysical survey of the site identified linear anomalies, probably diches and perhaps defining fields or enclosures. Linear banding of ridge and furrow, of both medieval and post-medieval character occurred throughout almost the whole of the site. No evidence for prehistoric and Roman activity was revealed on the evaluation. The only evidence for Saxon occupation was a fragment of early to middle Saxon pottery retrieved during the maching of Trench 7. Undated ditches were excavated in this trench and in trench 1. the ditch in trench 7 is probably part of the same feature recorded in trenches 8 and 11. the geophysical survey indicates that this ditch was a field boundary of probable medieval date which separated areas of ridge and furrow ploughing. Artefacts from the furrows suggest this phase of agricultural activity continued to the late post-medieval period.It is possible that the geophysical anomalies are due to variations in the natural geology. Alternatively, it is possible that the magnetic anomalies recorded by the former locations of archaeological features that have been ploughed out of existence by agricultural activity (as indicated by the ridge and furrow evident in both the geophysical survey and the trenches), leaving behind localised concentrations of magnetically distinct deposits within the ploughsoil. Finds comprised a sherd of early to middle Saxon pottery along with post-medieval pottery, clay pipe and glass.