SNN114265 - Land west of Buckingham Road, Deanshanger, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation

In May 2022, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation of land west of Buckingham Road, Deanshanger, Northamptonshire for Pegasus Group acting on behalf of Davidson’s Developments Ltd. The evaluation comprised the excavation of 23 trenches across the 12.5ha site, primarily positioned to investigate anomalies of probable and possible archaeological origin identified by a preceding geophysical survey. The results of the evaluation broadly confirmed the results of the geophysical survey identifying archaeological remains, concentrated in the northern limits of the evaluation area, of agricultural activity and occupation of a rural nature. The dateable features can be attributed to one of three main periods comprising Middle-Late Iron Age/ Early Roman, Roman and post-medieval/ modern periods. The pottery assemblage indicates that activity began in the MiddleLate Iron Age focused around the trapezoidal enclosure containing a roundhouse. A circular enclosure directly to the southwest contained no internal features and possibly represents a stock enclosure. The enclosures are likely the remains of a small Iron Age farmstead with two ditches extending to the north and the east of the trapezoidal enclosure demarcating land boundaries of the farmstead with occupation continuing into the Late Iron Age/ Early Roman transitional period. Evidence of ridge and furrow agricultural practice was evident across the site, surviving as truncated furrow bases, with multiple alignments identified, consistent with the geophysical survey, indicating the potential for small field plots. These remains are likely to represent evidence of a well-established medieval open field system and later post-medieval agricultural activity. However, the limited results of the evaluation are insufficient to establish any phasing to the furrows due to the extensive modern ploughing truncating the furrow bases which were not cut into the natural substrate. A post-medieval ditch was excavated in the centre of site which was found to correlate with a field boundary depicted on historic mapping from 1892. Two other parallel ditches to the south of this are indicative of an agricultural field system and contained a sherd of 16-18 century pottery.