Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon settlements along the route of the A43 Corby Link Road, Northamptonshire

This volume reports the results of intermittent archaeological mitigation works for the A43 Corby Link Road, Northamptonshire, undertaken by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) between June 2012 to October 2013. Evidence was uncovered relating to Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon settlements.

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) undertook intermittent archaeological mitigation works for the A43 Corby Link Road, Northamptonshire, between June 2012 to October 2013. Early Bronze Age funerary and domestic features/activity were recorded in one location largely on the flood plain on either side of Harper’s Brook. Here an undated palaeochannel, a ploughed-out barrow and a dispersed spread of four pits were recovered. Two of the pits had possible placed animal deposits. The barrow was respected by a late Bronze Age cremation. Nearly 2km away there was an isolated early Bronze Age pit contained significant parts of two collard urns. Around 0.8km from the early Bronze barrow was a moderate sized middle Bronze Age flat cremation cemetery. Here there were 30 probable pits of which 25 produced varied quantities of cremated human remains and two other pits retaining pyre deposits. At a different part of the road scheme was a late Bronze Age/early Iron Age pit alignment which was backfilled in the middle Iron Age when a settlement was established. In the early Iron Age, there was a small area comprising postholes and small pits which may denote short term occupation. In the last part of the middle Iron Age in c2nd century BC there were possibly three separate areas of occupation/activity established in different places. This comprised part of a small single-phase (with limited recutting) farmstead which was abandoned by the Conquest period. The second was a very small, segmented enclosure system which was in use for a short period in the 2nd century BC and/ or 1st century BC and the third middle-late Iron Age settlement continued into the early Roman settlement. In two further areas there was a new settlement established in the latest Iron Age or early Roman period and both these were short lived. It was noticeable there was no middle or late Roman settlement remains from any locations within the A43 scheme. Along the valley side to the north of Newton and parallel to a watercourse there was a Saxon settlement of at least hamlet size. This comprised both timber-frame buildings and sunken-featured buildings associated with household industry including a weaving house and iron smelting, the latter occurred within and probably adjacent to the settlement. The evidence of middle Saxon iron smelting is especially rare, and it is within the national important Rockingham Forest ironworking area. The remains of one furnace was found in situ and others suspected nearby, with other iron working related features excavated included roast-ore pits and quarry extraction pits. At another location there was a single Saxon SFB next to Harper’s Brook, which was either isolated or had been part of a dispersed settlement.

Chapter 1: Introduction Project background Location, topography and geology Historical and archaeological background Chapter 2: The archaeological evidence Period 1: Early Bronze Age (2500BC to 1500BC) Period 2: Middle Bronze Age (1500BC to 1100BC) Period 3: Late Bronze Age (1100BC to 800BC) Period 4: Early Iron Age (800BC-400BC) Period 5: Middle Iron Age (400BC to 100BC) and late Iron Age (1st century BC to mid-1st century AD) Period 6: Late Iron Age to early Roman (100BC to AD150) Period 7: Early to middle Saxon (AD450 to AD850) Period 8: Medieval to post-medieval Chapter 3: Finds Worked Flint by Yvonne Wolframm-Murray The Bronze Age pottery by Andy Chapman Middle and late Iron Age pottery by Andy Chapman and Adam Sutton Later Iron Age and Roman pottery by J R Timby and Adam Sutton Saxon and later pottery by Paul Blinkhorn Daub and fired Clay by Pat Chapman Loomweights by Pat Chapman Kiln bars by Pat Chapman Roman tile by Pat Chapman Medieval and post medieval tile and brick by Rob Atkins and Pat Chapman Metal and ceramic small finds by Tora Hylton Vessel glass by Claire Finn Worked bone and antler by Ian Riddler Querns and grinding stones by Andy Chapman Waterlogged wood by Damian Goodburn Metalworking debris by Andy Chapman Archaeometallurgical residues by Tim Young Chapter 4: Human remains by Chris Chinnock and Don Walker Chapter 5: The faunal and environmental evidence Animal bone by Matilda Holmes and Rebecca Gordon Environmental remains by Val Fryer Analysis of the charcoal wood samples by Imogen Poole Analysis of the furnace charcoal by Dana Challinor Chapter 6: Discussion Overview Period 1: Early-middle Bronze Age Period 2: Late Bronze Age (1100BC to 800BC) Period 3: Middle-late Iron Age (400BC to 100BC) Period 4: Late Iron Age to early Roman (100BC to AD150) Period 5: Early-middle Saxon (AD450 to AD850) Period 6: Medieval to post-medieval land use Bibliography,

Chapter 1: Introduction

Project background

Location, topography and geology

Historical and archaeological background

Chapter 2: The archaeological evidence

Period 1: Early Bronze Age (2500BC to 1500BC)

Period 2: Middle Bronze Age (1500BC to 1100BC)

Period 3: Late Bronze Age (1100BC to 800BC)

Period 4: Early Iron Age (800BC-400BC)

Period 5: Middle Iron Age (400BC to 100BC) and late Iron Age (1st century BC to mid-1st century AD)

Period 6: Late Iron Age to early Roman (100BC to AD150)

Period 7: Early to middle Saxon (AD450 to AD850)

Period 8: Medieval to post-medieval

Chapter 3: Finds

Worked Flint by Yvonne Wolframm-Murray

The Bronze Age pottery by Andy Chapman

Middle and late Iron Age pottery by Andy Chapman and Adam Sutton

Later Iron Age and Roman pottery by J R Timby and Adam Sutton

Saxon and later pottery by Paul Blinkhorn

Daub and fired Clay by Pat Chapman

Loomweights by Pat Chapman

Kiln bars by Pat Chapman

Roman tile by Pat Chapman

Medieval and post medieval tile and brick by Rob Atkins and Pat Chapman

Metal and ceramic small finds by Tora Hylton

Vessel glass by Claire Finn

Worked bone and antler by Ian Riddler

Querns and grinding stones by Andy Chapman

Waterlogged wood by Damian Goodburn

Metalworking debris by Andy Chapman

Archaeometallurgical residues by Tim Young

Chapter 4: Human remains by Chris Chinnock and Don Walker

Chapter 5: The faunal and environmental evidence

Animal bone by Matilda Holmes and Rebecca Gordon

Environmental remains by Val Fryer

Analysis of the charcoal wood samples by Imogen Poole

Analysis of the furnace charcoal by Dana Challinor

Chapter 6: Discussion

Overview

Period 1: Early-middle Bronze Age

Period 2: Late Bronze Age (1100BC to 800BC)

Period 3: Middle-late Iron Age (400BC to 100BC)

Period 4: Late Iron Age to early Roman (100BC to AD150)

Period 5: Early-middle Saxon (AD450 to AD850)

Period 6: Medieval to post-medieval land use

Bibliography

• By (author) Stephen Morris
• By (author) Simon Markus
• By (author) Jim Brown

‘The report includes a detailed discussion of the evidence from all periods, placing it in the context of discoveries elsewhere in Northamptonshire and its wider region, many of them from recent excavations, which forms a useful introduction for those unfamiliar with the material.’ – Mike Shaw (2024): Current Archaeology Issue 411

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