SNN114113 - Cottesbrooke Estate, Northamptonshire: Geoarchaeological and Archaeological Trial Pit Survey

York Archaeology (the new trading name of Trent and Peak Archaeology), were commissioned by the Environment Agency on behalf of the Cottesbrooke Estate to undertake a geoarchaeological survey and an archaeological test pit survey as part of the groundworks associated with a Countryside Stewardship scheme centring on NGR SP 73610 72104 (Area 1) and SP 73663 71348 (Area 2). Five archaeological trial-pits measuring 5m x 2m were excavated within the southern part of Area 2 of the Cottesbrooke estate. Despite the trial-pits proximity to a series of prehistoric crop marks and the Brampton branch of the River Nene, no archaeological features or waterlogged deposits were identified within any of the trial-pits, possibly indicating an ephemeral archaeological presence within a historically worked and cultivated landscape. The hand auger survey carried out a total of 51 holes across both northern and southern areas, finding very limited preservation of organic material. Deposits in the northern area were found to be predominantly dry, with a single instance of thinly developed waterlogged organic material recovered from the Brampton palaeochannel (4b). The southern area found infrequent instances of waterlogged sediments, demonstrating, an albeit low, possibility discovering organic material preservation in other unsurveyed areas across the site. As a result, the archaeological and geoarchaeological potential of the study area is considered low.