SURVEY RESULTS

2004 / 72 Oliver’s Meadow, Northamptonshire 

1.	Survey Area

1.1	Survey comprised approximately 2.75 ha of detailed gradiometer survey, carried out with a Bartington Grad 601-2 instrument. The area is shown in Figure 1 at a scale of 1:2500.

1.2	The survey grid was established using a dGPS system operated by Dr Henry Chapman and automatically tied into the Ordnance Survey base maps.

2.	Display

2.1	Figures 2 and 3 show the gradiometer data as a summary greyscale and interpretation respectively at a scale of 1:2000. 

2.2	These display formats and the interpretation categories used are discussed in the Technical Information section at the end of the text.

2.3	The area has been subdivided into two (Areas 1 and 2) for ease of display and discussion of the results.

3.	General Considerations - Complicating factors

3.1	Conditions for survey were good; the majority of the survey area was under pasture while the northernmost section had a young crop. The presence of the open excavation trench and the associated spoil heaps and photographic tower hampered survey on the smaller enclosure.

4.	Results of Magnetic Survey

Area 1 (Larger Enclosure)

4.1	The ditch of the enclosure appear as weak magnetic anomalies (1) in the north but only negative trends in the data along the south-eastern ‘side’ (2). The western ‘side’ is also difficult to discern in the results; there are a number anomalies (3) on the line of the ditch but no clear linear response. There is a large depression of unknown origin in the field at this point and this may be confusing matters. Within the enclosure there is one well-defined anomaly (4) that, on excavation, proved to be associated with a burnt feature. 

4.2	Elsewhere, both inside and outside the enclosure, there are several anomalies that have been interpreted as ‘?Archaeology’ since it is difficult to be certain whether they are associated with archaeological features or natural variations in the soils. 

4.3	A large area of ferrous disturbance (5) is due to an electricity pole and an unusual linear anomaly (6) is thought to be a service trench. 

Area 2 (Smaller Enclosure)

4.4	The results from this area are dominated by a series of strong linear responses forming a herringbone pattern. These clearly correspond to modern land drains that criss-cross the field. It is believed that the linear responses at (7) may also be a land drain but perhaps earlier in date than the others and constructed of different, less magnetic, materials.

4.5	The results are complicated by the existence of the excavation trenches, the spoilheaps and the associated debris which all result in spurious anomalies. There is only one linear magnetic anomaly (8) that coincides with a section of the enclosure ditch.  

5.	Summary and Conclusions

5.1	While the survey has succeeded in identifying the larger enclosure, the magnetic responses are poorly defined. This also applies to a number of possible archaeological features both inside and outside the enclosure.

5.2	Unfortunately the presence of the excavation trench and spoilheaps has severely restricted the survey and the existence of a complex of landrains has further confused the results. Despite these complications a short length of the enclosure ditch has been identified.

Project Personnel:	J Gater, C Gaffney and J Adcock
Project Assistant:	J. Anderson and E Wood

Date of Survey:		4th-8th October 2004
Date of Report:		17th January 2005

References:

Twinch O and Kirk K, 2004	Proposed archaeological evaluation at Gordon’s Lodge / Oliver’s Meadow,  Videotext Communications Ltd., unpublished desktop study. 

SITE SUMMARY SHEET*

2004 / 72 Oliver’s Meadow, Northamptonshire 

NGR: SP 771 482

Location, topography and geology 

Oliver’s Meadow is in the parish of Hanslope, approximately 3km west of Hanslope village, Northamptonshire. The site occupies an area of sloping land overlooking the River Tove to the west, at about 80m above OD. The majority of the survey area was set-aside, though the northernmost section was under a young crop. The underlying geology is boulder clay. The soils comprise deep fine and coarse loams formed from chalky till; they are characteristic of the Burlingham 2 (572o) association (SSEW 1983).

Archaeology

Two sub-circular enclosures are visible as cropmarks and consist of an enclosure c. 50m in diameter and a smaller ‘horse-shoe’ shaped enclosure to the north of this. The enclosures appear to be part of a larger system of linear features also visible on aerial photographs. Excavations in 1980 revealed the remains of a medieval pottery kiln and more recent archaeological work has identified further medieval features including a possible building with stone foundations.

Aims of Survey

The aims of the survey were to pinpoint the enclosures on the ground and investigate the nature of any archaeological features. This work forms part of a wider archaeological investigation by Channel 4’s Time Team.

Summary of Results 

The larger enclosure was successfully identified but the responses are weakly defined; in places the ditches register as no more than negative trends in the data. A number of internal and external features have been identified though the definition is also poor. 

The second enclosure proved more problematic to investigate because of the existence of the open excavation trenches and spoil heaps. The results have also been confused by a network of modern landrains that criss-cross the site. Only one short length of this enclosure ditch has been detected. 

*Background information from Twinch and Kirk 2004.

List of Figures

Figure 1:	Summary Location						1:2500
Figure 2:	Gradiometer Data: Summary Greyscale				1:2000
Figure 3:	Gradiometer Data: Summary Interpretation				1:2000

Figure 4:	Area 1: XY plot							1:500
Figure 5:	Area 1: Grey scale						1:500
Figure 6:	Area 1: Interpretation						1:500
Figure 7:	Area 2: XY plot							1:500
Figure 8:	Area 2: Grey scale						1:500
Figure 9:	Area 2:  Interpretation				1:500