SNN63031 - Collyweston Quarry, Duddington, Northamptonshire: An Archaeological Evaluation

An evaluation and a fieldwalking exercise were carried out at the proposed site of an extension to a quarry. An earlier desk-based study had identified that a possible ring ditch of uncertain date lay within the site, and that a charcoal-filled pit had been observed in 1977, during the construction of a pipeline across the proposal area. The site of an iron-smelting furnace and associated slag deposits had been found to the north-west during construction of the same pipeline. A geophysical survey of the site had recorded the position of the ring ditch and a number of other anomalies. During the evaluation, the ring ditch was revealed, although it could not be dated. Iron slag observed within the ploughsoil may have indicated iron-smelting activity in the vicinity of the site. All of the anomalies identified during geophysical survey were found by the trial trenches. Of these, five features were probably natural, whilst an area of burnt stones and associated deposits indicated significant Iron Age activity. The absence of iron slag or furnace material with these deposits suggested that this activity had not been associated with iron smelting.