SNN115840 - Crockwell Hill Solar, Watford Gap, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation

In October 2023, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation of land at Crockwell Hill Solar, Watford Gap, Northamptonshire. A total of 29no. trenches, each measuring 30m long by 1.8m wide, were excavated across the Site. The trenches were located to test anomalies identified during a preceding geophysical survey and cropmarks recorded through the Northamptonshire National Mapping Programme Project; and to provide a representative sample of the remainder of the Site. The results of the evaluation partially confirmed those of the geophysical survey. Ditches exposed within the trenches corresponded well with linear anomalies identified as being possibly of archaeological origin. However, the more amorphous anomalies, spreads and diffuse linear trends did not correspond to archaeological features although a correlation was noted between the location of these anomalies and those parts of the trenches where areas of more gravelly geology were encountered. In addition, no evidence was encountered in the trenches for any features matching the cropmarks recorded within the Site. Two sherds of Iron Age pottery were recovered from a possible pit within Trench 14, near the centre of the Site. However, the feature could not be clearly identified as archaeological in nature, and no clear relationship could be established with two adjacent ditches. The pottery does however suggest a late prehistoric presence in the area. Ditches belonging to a likely Roman field system were encountered in the southern half of the Site in Trenches 14, 25 and 26. The ditches correlated with linear geophysical anomalies forming a rectilinear field system which appeared to continue to the south beyond the Site boundary. A single sherd of Roman pottery was recovered from the fill of ditch 2603, in Trench 26. Furrows matching the orientation of broad linear trends identified by the geophysical survey were exposed only in Trenches 2 and 18, at the northern and western edges of the Site respectively. The features suggest the presence of two separate ridge and furrow systems, including a north-west/south-east aligned block in the north-west and a broadly east/west aligned system across the remainder of the Site. Given the absence of corresponding cut features in the other trenches, it is suggested that the geophysical survey identified the furrows from soil bands that only survive within the topsoil. Four undated ditches were exposed in the northern half of the Site in Trenches 5, 6, and 10. Their alignments were observed to be markedly different to those of the Roman field system. However, they did broadly correspond with the alignment of the two blocks of furrows, suggesting that they represent early enclosure of the previously open-field ridge and furrow system.