Monument record 0107604002 - Land south-west of Liscombe House

Evaluation trial trenching carried out by MOLA Northampton in March 2017 found medieval ditches and pits. Ditches in Trenches 3 and 4 were perpendicular to each other with similar fills and profiles. Both had been recut following the same alignment. These ditches may represent boundaries, although the relationship between the two is unclear. A possible ditch in Trench 1 contained pottery from the mid 11th to the mid 13th centuries. A large pit roughly circular in plan, atleast 1.10m wide and 1.20m deep, with almost virtical sides, extended beyond the limits of the trench. A posthole was cut into a step towards the base of the pit. A layer of black ashy sand had been purposely tipped into the pit. An environmental sample from this layer suggested it comprised cereal processing waste, with wheat being the predominant crop. The small amount of pottery recovered would suggest that these features were related to agriculture, associated with, but away from, the main settlement location of Liscombe DMV to the east. A substantial post-medieval ditch, 5.50m wide and 1.75m deep, was cut across the northern part of the site. It was infilled with a mass deposit containing 16th-17th century tile and a single fragment of possible medieval tile. The 16th-17th century material correlates to the construction date of the current house and later additions. It is possible that this ditch is an earlier feature infilled at a similar time as part of redesigning of the landscape garden (B17)
Of the features identified by the earlier evaluation none were located during the excavation. However, a number of natural features were identified, as well as a linear marking the location of a former hedge boundary. A circular feature containing degraded animal bone and ceramic building material was identified as a tree throw. The earlier trench locations missed the position of the swimming pool (B18).