SNN114525 - Braybrooke NG Substation, Braybrooke, Northamptonshire: Archaeological strip, map and sample and archaeological monitoring (watching brief): Assessment of the archaeological results

This report presents an assessment of the results obtained during archaeological works associated with the proposed construction of a new National Grid electricity supply substation and access road on land within the parish of Braybrooke in Northamptonshire (SP 75835 85804). Whilst the site of the proposed substation itself is entirely located within the Kettering District of Northamptonshire, the associated access road crosses the Northamptonshire and Leicestershire County boundary, to end on the eastern edge of the parish of Market Harborough in Leicestershire. Network Archaeology was commissioned by National Grid to undertake the archaeological works. These consisted of the strip map and sample (SMS) mitigation of the access road strip, together with archaeological monitoring (watching brief) upon the excavation of two trenches housing the substation earthing cable array. No archaeological work was undertaken on the footprint of the new substation itself, since this part of the proposed development had already been mitigated by an earlier archaeological excavation conducted by Oxford Archaeology in 2019 (Oxford Archaeology 2020a). The archaeological mitigation of the access road corridor yielded archaeological evidence of Prehistoric to post-medieval activity. Evidence for earlier Prehistoric activity was mainly confined to residual flint finds recovered from later features, although a single possible prehistoric pit (2266) was also noted. Iron Age activity consisted of a large re-cut boundary ditch running north-west to south-east, together with an intersecting ditch, also recut on several occasions, which ran from north-east to south-west. To the south and east of the Iron Age boundary were a series of linear features running on parallel north-west to south-east and south-west to north-east alignments. Whilst many of these features remain undated, several were dated to the early Roman period (1st second to 2nd century AD). Two foci of Roman activity were noted, comprising a series of pits, the possible rake-out of a kiln, curvilinear gullies, and later linear features which in some cases truncated the earlier field boundaries. Dating evidence suggests that the Roman activity persisted into the 4th century AD. Early medieval activity consisted of eight confirmed cremation burials and one confirmed but badly truncated inhumation burial. In addition, a second inhumation burial appeared to be represented by a badly truncated rectangular grave cut which contained numerous grave goods, but no body. The archaeological watching brief revealed several undated and modern linear features. No significant finds were recovered from these features. The potential for the data to be taken forward to the analysis stage has been assessed in regard to its ability to address the existing project aims and objectives, as well as any new avenues of investigation, both regional and local, identified during the process. The assessment of potential and the recommendations arising from it are presented in an updated project design (UPD), included here as Section 4