Three Bronze Age burial sites in Northamptonshire
Andy Chapman
Sites at Irchester quarry, Brackmills Link Road, Northampton and Marsh Lane, Irthlingborough, investigated as part of separate developer funded projects, have produced evidence of Bronze Age burial in the form of ring ditches of former round barrows of early Bronze Age date. In addition, long term respect for these sites has been demonstrated by the presence of satellite cremation burials of middle Bronze Age date. The site at Irchester produced a small assemblage of Beaker pottery and radiocarbon dates have been obtained for the other two sites.
[pp. 1-14]
Excavation of an Iron Age Settlement at Wilby Way, Great Doddington
Alan Thomas and Dawn Enright
Archaeological excavation of a site in the parish of Great Doddington to the south of Wellingborough revealed part of a large Iron Age settlement site, of which approximately 4 hectares was excavated. Evidence indicates that the settlement was founded in the 6th or 5th century BC and continued in use until its abandonment in the 1st century BC. It appears to have been surrounded by a field system, and probably formed part of an extensive Iron Age landscape as evidenced by previous Iron Age discoveries in the vicinity of Wellingborough. Limited evidence for Iron Age ironworking, craftwork and ritual activity, and of localised Neolithic/Early Bronze Age activity, was also recovered.
[pp. 15-70]
A medieval manorial farm at Lime Street, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire
Andy Chapman, Rob Atkins and Rowena Lloyd
Excavations on land of off Lime Street, Irthlingborough ,found activity from the early-middle Iron Age, Roman, Saxo-Norman and medieval periods. Part of an Iron Age settlement comprised some pits and a house ring ditch set within a small enclosure. Roman activity was represented by a scatter of residual pottery, some minor ditch systems and a small pit group. 11th century medieval settlement comprised group of postholes and pits, and a system of boundary ditches was probably of the same date. Through the 12th and 13th centuries activity was still sparse comprising a scatter of small pits and deep quarry pits. A pit containing a primary pottery assemblage of early 13th century date denotes the presence of a house.
By the early 14th century a group of three buildings were established: a long malthouse/barn, dovecote and a building with mortared walls that might have served as a kitchen/bakehouse These buildings are clearly appropriate to a manorial farm, and probably served a nearby manor house Later documentary evidence indicates that the land was owned by the Battaile mano of Irthlingborough. The scale of the malthouse suggests was used for commercial production. These buiIdings and associated pit groups were abandoned tit the end of the 14th century, after less century of use. After partial robbing the site seems to have been left undeveloped until terracing and further robbing occurred in the 18th century.
[pp. 71-104]
A medieval tenement at Deene End, Weldon, Northamptonshire
Alex Thorne
Excavation in advance of new housing on the southern street-frontage of Deene End, Weldon examined the remains of late twelfth century post-built structures and quarrying and a medieval stone-built range, including a kitchen and bakehouse, dating to the thirteenth century. In the final phase iron smelting was being carried out within the tenement and the debris was deposited around the building range. The presence of a small quantity imported pottery suggests that the occupants were of above average. Extensive medieval quarrying and post-medieval and recent features were also recorded.
[pp. 105 - 124]
A medieval tenement at College Street, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire
Chris Jones and Andy Chapman
Following extensive trial trenching, a small excavation was undertaken ahead of residential development on land west of College Street, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire. A number of shallow ditches and pits indicate that the area was occupied through the twelfth century, and tenement plots had probably been established at this time. By the later thirteenth century several stone buildings had been constructed The presence of a circular oven base stone?lined drains suggests that these were ancillary buildings perhaps pertaining to a domestic residence fronting onto Collage Street, although no evidence for this was located. To the west a ditched and later walled boundary, found in the trial trenching appears to divide the frontage from the back plots, which contained only quarry pits and scattered pits and ditches. The buildings appear to have fallen out of use by the end of the fifteenth century when the town is known to have been in decline. The historic map evidence indicates that the southern part of the area was still undeveloped at the end of sixteenth century, and remained an orchard until well into the nineteenth century, despite extensive development to the immediate north from the eighteenth century onward.
[pp. 125- 135]
Notes
[pp. 137 - 172]
Archaeology in Northamptonshire
[pp. 173 - 184]
The Portable Antiquities Scheme
[pp. 184 - 185]
