Pits, pits and more pits: Two pit alignment boundaries uncovered in Northamptonshire

Two extensive lines of pits (1 and 2), commonly referred to as ‘pit alignments’, have been discovered on either side of the Dallington Brook in Northamptonshire. They were found during archaeological excavations carried out in 2022 and 2023 by Cotswold Archaeology’s Milton Keynes field team, working on behalf of Bloor Homes in consultation with Quercus Heritage Limited.

The pit boundaries discovered adjacent to the Dallington Brook were defined by up to 54 pits, most of which were evenly spaced, 1.5–2m apart. Variations were noted in their size and shape (circular, oval or sub-rectangular), which could suggest that they were dug by different individuals or separate groups of people. Similar observations have been made for other pit alignments in Northamptonshire and have been attributed to gang-work. It is also possible that these huge boundaries were created in stages, perhaps over several seasons, which would explain the slight variations in the pits themselves, as well as slight ‘wobbles’ in their otherwise straight formations.

Pit alignment 2 followed a broadly north-east/south-west course along the southern edge of the Dallington Brook, appearing in places to separate the alluvial silty clay of the floodplain from the more permeable silts and sands and outcrops of iron stone to the south. Curiously, pit alignment 1 appeared to take a different alignment (north-west/south-east) to the brook, instead taking a route up the slope of the river valley, although historic maps indicate that the watercourse had been diverted and straightened during the mid to late 19th century. Both pit alignments were in excess of 200m long and it is possible that they continued beyond the excavation area; a line of similar pits identified during road improvements on New Sandy Lane in 2010 could represent an easterly continuation of pit alignment 1.

The principles governing the layout of pit alignments are not always immediately clear but where they have been identified in Northamptonshire, they are often situated parallel to the River Nene or its tributaries, like pit alignment 2, or on the valley slopes, such as pit alignment 1. The gaps between the pits suggest that these boundaries were not designed to impede access across the landscape but may have had a more symbolic function, perhaps only needing to demarcate land rather than enclose or cut it off. It is therefore interesting that part of both pit alignments were replaced by ditches during the Middle Iron Age (c. 400–100 BC), something that has been noted on other sites in the region. This suggests a change in attitude towards land-use, possibly linked to an increased concern over land-ownership fuelled by a population expansion and/or a change or growth in farming practices.

Evidence was found to suggest that the pits forming alignment 2 were often water-filled, due to their location on the floodplain, and this was also noted by the field team during a very wet winter on site! The use of water-filled pits as a boundary feature potentially moves beyond a purely functional use and could have been linked to the well-attested Iron Age ritual interest in water. The pits may have been perceived as extending the domains of deities associated with natural watercourses, imbuing these boundaries with symbolic and religious meaning.