SNN111017 - Archaeological Investigation: 44 Saffron Road, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, 2017

An archaeological investigation was carried out by Souterrain prior to during groundwork preparation for a house extension at 44 Saffron Road, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire. The investigation took place over the course of four days between the 2nd and 6th of October 2017. A specific objective of the investigation was to determine whether remains of an ancient dovecote survived in the proposed new extension footprint, and, if present, to determine a suitable course of mitigation. The dovecote, first recorded on a 16th century map, had stood in the grounds of Chichele College (established in the early 15th century). It was demolished in the late 19th century. The investigation revealed that stratified archaeological layers and deposits survive at the site up to 1 m in depth. The earliest layer was a buried soil dated to the 12th / 13th century. This yielded a quantity of carbonised plant macro fossils, including a range of cereal crops (hulled barley, free-threshing type wheat, oat, rye and bread wheat) cultivated in medieval England. It is considered that the buried soil pertains to a former burgage tenement, several of which are known to have been acquired for the creation of Chichele College and its grounds. The buried soil was sealed beneath a thick layer of rubble-strewn made-up ground of 13th / 14th century, or later medieval, date. Above the made-up ground, a spread of limestone rubble and broken roof tiles appeared to denote the proximity of the former dovecote. Cartographic evidence suggests that the dovecote stood just beyond the present area of investigation. In the early 19th century the land was in use as a paddock, and possibly continued as such until the second half of the 20th century. Limestone blocks, presumably salvaged from the dovecote, had been re-used for the foundation of an early to mid 20th century wooden-framed building, possibly a stable block or an outbuilding.