Trenching in the Ise Valley, Northamptonshire. Kettering East Trunk Sewer Pipeline

Oxford Archaeology East undertook an archaeological evaluation on behalf of Anglian Water along the route of a proposed sewer pipeline between Burton Latimer and Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. This route largely followed that of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. Geophysical survey had previously indicated the possible presence of buried archaeological remains. Twenty-three 30m long trenches were excavated along the length of the proposed pipeline. No archaeological remains of any antiquity were revealed in the trenches. Traces of ridge and furrow were, however, present in several trenches and a single Iron Age pottery sherd was recovered from one of the furrows. Some evidence for later post-medieval activity was discovered, which is likely to have been associated with nearby industrial workings in Wellingborough and the Ise valley.