SNN115101 - Construction Integrated Recording at Illet's Farm, Northamptonshire

An L-shaped trench was excavated to facilitate the construction of a drainage ditch. Previous geophysical survey and trial trenching of the site confirmed the presence of a Romano-British settlement complex consisting of square enclosures, pits and two metalled surfaces. Potential trackway ditches were visible on the geophysical survey of the site. The excavation of the L-Shaped trench picked up the presence of two north-east to south-west aligned graves, aligned parallel to a potential trackway in the unexcavated field approximately 1.2m to the north-west. One grave contained the remains of an adult female buried on her side with arms outstretched and crossed at the wrists. The other grave contained an adult female buried prone with a Romano-British pot placed by her side and a copper alloy ring on her right hand. Both graves were found in close proximity to a single post hole which did not contain dateable material. Further boundary ditches and pits were recorded within the trench which contained Romano-British pottery and residual Late Iron Age pottery. Cutting across the top of these features was a regiment of north-west to south-east aligned plough furrows which contained residual artefacts, including neolithic flint and Romano-British pottery suggesting truncation of earlier prehistoric and Romano-British archaeology.