CBA SMA\SMA 1998.PDF - Council for British Archaeology

Northamptonshire
evaluation work here had suggested that Medieval quarrying
had taken place. The full extent of quarry pits was lost due
to the density of later 19th and 20th century rubbish pits
containing vast quantities of late 19th and 20th century
crockery, glass and oyster shells, and other domestic refuse
including shoe leather, clay pipes and whole bottles.
Trench III - House plots 7-18
A substantial pit cut the natural ironstone at the north end of
the trench. The pit extended outside the limits of the
excavation area, but was 14m long (north-south) and at least
7.5 m wide. Pottery from the pit fills was dated to the 12th
and 13th centuries. The fills of the pit tipped steeply from
west to east suggesting they were infilling an ironstone
quarry, presumably dug early in the Medieval period, and
Willed soon after.
A number of apparently domestic pit features containing
pottery ranging in date from the 13th to the 15th centuries
were cut into the infilled quarry pit, and into layers which
were stratigraphically later than the infill. Two pits, on the
basis of the ceramic evidence, seem to have been dug
towards the end of the 15th century. Soil samples for
environmental analysis were retained from some of the pit
fills. Medieval and post-Medieval soils were recorded
towards the south end of Trench III, together with a few post
holes. These may have formed part of a timber structure, or
possibly a fence. Pottery in one of the post holes was of 12th
century date, suggesting that the structure or fence may
have been contemporary with the quarry activity.
Trench IV Sewer Trench
The main site sewer associated with the new development
extended from the south-west corner of the development
area on a north-east alignment to the centre of the site, thence
due north towards Demgate Road. The only notable feature
was a large 19th to 20th century pit (perhaps a quarry pit?)
which was over 4.5 m wide and at least 3.5 m deep, and filled
with substantial quantities of modern glass bottles,
crockery, leather shoes and humic material.
Trench V - House plots 1-6
This trench contained an infilled quarry pit similar to those
in Trenches II and III. Pottery of 13th century date was
recovered from the pit, which was filled with tipped
material similar to the pit in Trench III.
Trenches VI and VII - House plots 63-68. 61-62
The earliest deposit in Trench VI was a layer of red-brown
sandy silt with charcoal flecks and contained pottery of 12th
century date, and some animal bone. It sealed the natural
ironstone. The upper surface of the layer was even, and may
represent an early Medieval soil horizon. This layer was
sealed by a layer of compact grey-brown clay loam which
included charcoal flecks, ironstone pieces, and animal
bone. An ironstone wall in a construction trench cut this
layer and extended northeast-southwest for a distance of
9.3 m within the trench. The wall was perhaps part of the
boundary wall of the Medieval or post-Medieval building
known as the Grange which was on the site. The wall was
abutted on both sides by distinct thick layer of grey clay
loam which included a very high percentage of charcoal
flecks.
A second wall adjacent was represented by a robber trench
infilled with mortar and bricks (possibly indicating a post-
Medieval date for its original construction). Pottery of 18th
century date was recovered from the robber trench,
suggesting that it was demolished at this time.
Trench VII contained modem layers relating to the school -
no archaeological features were observed here.
Discussion
The results were broadly comparable to those from previous
evaluation work on the site. No features or finds of
Prehistoric, Roman or early to middle Saxon date were
found. Little evidence was forthcoming from this
investigation about Demgate during the late Saxon period,
as Medieval stone quarrying, perhaps starting as early as the
12th century, together with extensive landscaping and
Victorian and later rubbish pits have removed the potential
for deposits or features of this date. This corroborates the
results of previous work on the site (Parry and Shaw 1996,
7 & 24-5). The recovery of a single sherd of Northampton
ware of late Saxon date from the 1997 excavations is not
enough to demonstrate activity here of this date. This is
consistent with the generally accepted view that the
Demgate area lay outside the late Saxon burh, and agrees
with the general ceramic evidence recovered during earlier
excavations (e.g. Shaw et al 1992, 18 & 22; Parry and Shaw
1996, 7).
The pottery evidence suggests that there was a relatively
short period of activity here in the 12th and 13th centuries,
which accords with the 1992 excavation results (Shaw et al
1992, 17 & 23; Parry and Shaw 1996, 7). In the 12th and
13th centuries the site appears to have been a quarry.
Evidence of quarrying has been found at Swan Street, north
(Shaw 1984). On the criterion of size, at least three quarry
pits were certainly identified, whilst the loose ironstone
material seen in the sewer trench may have been the infill of
a further quarry. Quarry pit fills in the south and south-west
part of the site were cut by later activity. There was no
evidence of quarry pits in Trench V.
Williams (1979 p 143) suggests that it is unlikely that stone
houses were built in the town much before the late 13th
century, and Shaw (1984) suggests that quarrying was
undertaken to provide the stone for the town wall. The
evidence from these excavations suggests that such a
hypothesis is likely and accords with the generally agreed
view that the town wall dates to the middle of the 12th
century.
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