SNN110918 - Hannington to Pitsford Water Pipeline Archaeological Excavation and Monitoring: Post-Excavation Assessment, January 2017

This report describes the results of archaeological excavations and monitoring carried out by Pre-Construct Archaeology on twelve sites along the route of the Hannington to Pitsford water pipeline in Northamptonshire. The pipeline contained a mid-point at Chainage 3750 NGR SP 79328 69513 to the south of the village of Holcot. The main programme of excavation and monitoring was conducted across ten weeks between the 3rd of November 2014 and the 23rd of January 2015. The archaeological work was commissioned by Anglian Water, in response to a brief issued by Lesley-Ann Mather of Northamptonshire County Council ahead of the construction of a 7.5km long water pipeline designed to increase water capacity. The aim of the work was to preserve by record any archaeological remains which would be damaged or destroyed by the construction of the new pipe and any associated groundworks. The archeological excavations revealed four long-lived settlement sites (SETTLEMENT SITES 1-4) and five areas of ridge and furrow (OUTFIELD SITES 5- 9) at intervals along the pipeline excavations. Two main foci of settlement activity were identified (SETTLEMENT SITES 1 & 3). These earliest settlements were first established in the Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age on the higher ground at the western end of the scheme. These settlement sites seem to have remained as intermittent foci of activity into the Middle Iron Age and Roman periods (SETTLEMENT SITE 1) and the Middle to Late Iron Age (SETTLEMENT SITE 3) with later activity appearing to augment the preexisting settlements rather than change them wholescale. A further settlement was established in the Middle to Late Iron Age (SETTLEMENT SITE 2) which consisted of two large enclosures, of which one may have delineated an area of occupation (ENCLOSURE 3). SETTLEMENT SITE 4 was dated to the Late Iron Age. This site was notably located on lower lying ground rather than a hilltop (c. 105mOD rather than c. 115mOD). This site may be associated with OUTFIELD SITE 5 to the east, with the system of undated ridge and furrow potentially dating to this period.