SNN62938 - Upper Faxton: Archaeology

The proposed new village site occupies the south-east flank of a flat-topped ridge which rises to a height of approximately 161m above Ordnance Datum. The high ground is mostly capped by Boulder Clay but other clays of Estuarine Series outcrop on the slopes where they have been exploited recently for pot and brick-making. The area lies at the north end of the former parish of Faxton, now incorporated as part of Lamport parish, and impinges upon the adjoining parishes of Draughton and Orton, respectively at the west and the north. Much of the western half of the site was utilised as part of the Harrington airfield built during the Second World War. While some wartime features still survive, others have been converted to agricultural use. The construction of subsidiary runways and tracks, together with dispersals and bomb-stores, appears largely to have obliterated the ridge and furrow of the local common fields, which in the case of Faxton were enclosed by Act of Parliament of 1744. It is uncertain however if there had been any related medieval occupation or other exploitation of the nearby resources. Evidence of earlier human activity is provided by the excavation of an Iron Age defended enclosure in advance of the building of the airfield, while other sites represented by undated cropmarks occur at two locations close outside the area proposed for development. An archaeological Evaluation Brief has been prepared by the Curatorial Section of the Northamptonshire Archaeology Unit with the view of obtaining sufficient information to permit a detailed assessment of the archaeological implications of any development.