SNN115417 - Archaeological Evaluation Report: Trial Trenching on land at The Hermitage, Desborough, Northamptonshire

Alistructures Limited commissioned Allen Archaeology Limited (AAL) to conduct a programme of archaeological evaluation by trial trenching at land at The Hermitage, Desborough, Northamptonshire, as a condition of planning consent for a commercial development. In the medieval period a monastic grange and hermitage belonging to Pipewell Abbey was established, extending into the southwestern part of the site. This was surrounded by a moated enclosure, and possible evidence of this enclosure survives to the immediate east and west of the site. A house inside the moat was demolished in 1863, and a chapel to its east was demolished in the late 17th century. A cemetery is said to have been located to the east of the moated site. The initial planned works comprised 5no 25m x 1.8m trenches. Due to the presence of services, Trench 5 was reoriented and shortened to 10m and an additional 10m trench was excavated. Trench 4 was extended northwards by 8m. The trial trenching identified a large boundary ditch running broadly east – west through Trenches 1 and 4, and another smaller ditch running north through Trench 4 and turning west. Both were filled by a sequence of dumped deposits and organic silting events, with dating evidence from the larger ditch suggesting it was being gradually infilled during the 18th and 19th centuries. The larger ditch corresponds with a boundary present on historic mapping into the 20th century, while the smaller ditch appears to represent a central boundary between two enclosures shown on the 1817 Ordnance Survey drawing. No evidence was found within the trial trenches of the proposed burial area related to monastic grange, believed to be present to the southwest of site. This would suggest that the burial area could lay beyond the site, in the area of the 19th century farmstead.