1096354. Cite this using datacite

Title:

Evaluation at Daventry North-East, Northamptonshire

Series:

Oxford Archaeological Unit unpublished report series

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.5284/1096354

Publication Type:

Report (in Series)

Abstract:

A total of 70 evaluation trenches were excavated across the site to target specific geophysical anomalies and to excavate a representative 4% sample of the first phase of development, which is known for planning purposes as the Hybrid Application Site. Trench locations were agreed with the Daventry District Council planning officer before the work began. All the trenches measured 50m x 2m except for Trench 72 which was 30m x 2m.Trenches 1-47 were located within a triangular area of land in two fields between the B4036 and the Daventry-Norton road (Field 1, the Hybrid Application Site). Trenches 46 and 47 on the west side of Field 1 were not excavated as access was not granted by the landowner. Trenches 48-57 were spread more widely over three fields to the east of the Hybrid Application Site (Fields 5, 6 and 7). Trenches 58-71 were positioned to the north of the B4036 within three fields in the western part of the site (Fields 2, 3 and 4).Trench 72 was located close to the junction of the A5 and B4036 (Field 8). This trench was located to investigate possible Iron Age or Roman settlement features in the eastern part of the site. Eleven trenches in Fields 2 and 3 were located close to overhead cables. To maintain a safe working-distance, goal posts were erected to pass beneath the cables. Each trench was excavated using a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless bucket under the direct supervision of a qualified archaeologist. Topsoil and subsoil were stored at a safe distance from the trench edge. Machining continued in spits down to the top of the undisturbed natural geology or the first archaeological horizon, depending upon which was encountered first. Once archaeological deposits were exposed, further excavation proceeded by hand. Extant ridge and furrows were encountered in some areas, obscuring underlying features. These were machined to expose the underlying archaeology, although furrows were tested where necessary to distinguish them from archaeological features. The presence and extent of ridge and furrows was clear from the results of the geophysical surveys and were not recorded in detail during the evaluation. The exposed surface in each trench was cleaned to establish the presence or absence of archaeological remain. A sufficient sample of each feature or deposit type was excavated by hand and recorded, as specified in Appendix A of the WSI (OA 2017). Trench plans were drawn at a scale of 1:50 and sections were drawn at 1:20. Metal detectorists from the Community, Landscape, Archaeology and Survey Project (CLASP) were granted access to the site to assist in the work by detecting the spoil heaps of the evaluation trenches. Analysis of all finds recovered from metal-detecting have been included with those from the evaluation trenches. A 70 trench evaluation was undertaken on a 247ha site to the north-east of Daventry, Northamptonshire. Forty-five evaluation trenches were dug in the southern part of the site in Field 1, as this area constituted the first phase of the development application. Alongside the results of geophysical surveys in this field, the evaluation revealed evidence of a Roman rural settlement dating to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Trial trenches exposed numerous ditches, probably relating to enclosures and other field boundaries. The most significant find was a stone-lined corndryer with well-preserved environmental remains deposited in the flue of the structure. Preliminary analysis of this material suggests that the corndryer was used to malt cereal grain, possibly for ale production. A relatively high quantity of pottery from the site suggests that domestic activity was fairly intensive, while the recovery of cattle, sheep and horse bones indicates that the settlement operated a mixed agricultural economy.The settlement was located close to the foot of Borough Hill, an Iron Age hillfort that was refortified at its northern end.

Author:

Jim Harriss
Martyn G Allen

Publisher:

Oxford Archaeology

Year of Publication:

2017

Locations:

District:	West Northamptonshire
Parish:	Norton
Country:	England
County:	Northamptonshire

Grid Reference: 458999, 263999 (Easting, Northing)

Subjects / Periods:

ROMAN (Historic England Periods)
IRON AGE (Historic England Periods)
UNCERTAIN (Historic England Periods)
EARLY PREHISTORIC (Historic England Periods)
POST MEDIEVAL (Historic England Periods)
LATER PREHISTORIC (Historic England Periods)
	EVALUATION (Event)
	UNCERTAIN METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Tag)
	ANIMAL REMAINS (Object England)
	WINDOW GLASS (Object England)
	ROMAN POST HOLE (Tag)
	PIT (Monument Type England)
	LATER PREHISTORIC LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Tag)
	FLUE (Monument Type England)
	DITCH (Monument Type England)
	ROMAN DITCH (Tag)
	CERAMIC (Object England)
	IRON AGE CERAMIC (Tag)
	ROMAN CERAMIC (Tag)
	POST MEDIEVAL WINDOW GLASS (Tag)
	QUARRY (Monument Type England)
	METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Object England)
	BEAM SLOT (Monument Type England)
	UNCERTAIN CARVED OBJECT (Tag)
	ROMAN ANIMAL REMAINS (Tag)
	UNCERTAIN DITCH (Tag)
	ROMAN COIN (Tag)
	ROMAN FLUE (Tag)
	CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Object England)
	ROMAN PIT (Tag)
	EARLY PREHISTORIC LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Tag)
	POST MEDIEVAL CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Tag)
	POST MEDIEVAL GLASS WORKING DEBRIS (Tag)
	RIDGE AND FURROW (Monument Type England)
	UNCERTAIN SLAG (Tag)
	POST HOLE (Monument Type England)
	ROMAN BEAM SLOT (Tag)
	POST MEDIEVAL QUARRY (Tag)
	COIN (Object England)
	ROMAN METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Tag)
	SLAG (Object England)
	IRON AGE DITCH (Tag)
	POST MEDIEVAL RIDGE AND FURROW (Tag)
	LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Object England)
	POST MEDIEVAL DITCH (Tag)
	CARVED OBJECT (Object England)
	GLASS WORKING DEBRIS (Object England)

Identifiers:

OASIS Id:

oxfordar1-503344

Note:

This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.

Source:

OASIS (OASIS)

Relations:

Created Date:

13 Jul 2022