An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northamptonshire, Volume 1, Archaeological Sites in North-East Northamptonshire. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1975.
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'Sudborough', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northamptonshire, Volume 1, Archaeological Sites in North-East Northamptonshire, (London, 1975) pp. 92. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/northants/vol1/p92 [accessed 22 April 2024]
45 SUDBOROUGH
(OS 1:10000 SP 98 SE)
The parish, covering some 740 hectares, lies across the valley of Harper's Brook, between 120 ft. and 300 ft. above OD. The higher areas are covered with Boulder Clay, but along the valley sides large areas of clay and smaller patches of limestone are exposed.
Little archaeological material has been discovered in the parish and the records of Roman and Saxon finds are unsatisfactory.
Roman
(1) Settlement (?) (SP 962841), in the N. of the parish on the crest of a S.-facing Boulder Clay spur at 275 ft. above OD. Roman pottery, including samian has been found both here (BNFAS, 3 (1969), 17) and to the S.
For Roman Road 57a, see p. 117.
Medieval and Later
(2) Saxon Burials (unlocated). In about 1910 a Saxon burial is said to have been found in the parish and in 1916 'Saxon urns and ornaments' were discovered. No details. (Meaney, Gazetteer, 196; OS Record Cards)
(3) Saxon Settlement (?) (around SP 958836), near Cat's Head Lodge, in the N. of the parish on Boulder Clay at 200 ft. above OD. Pottery, apparently of mid-Saxon type, has been found in this area. (inf. D. A. Jackson)
(4) Cultivation Remains. The enclosure of the common fields of Sudborough took place following an Act of Parliament of 1795. Ridge-and-furrow of these fields exists, or can be traced on air photographs, in a number of places; it is arranged in reversed-S shaped, end-on and interlocked furlongs. In addition ridge-and-furrow can be traced in the S.W. part of the parish (SP 951817) inside the area occupied by a medieval deer park (Lowick (6)). (RAF VAP 540/664, 3003–4, 4003–5)
For Medieval Deer Park, see Lowick (6).
Undated
(5) Ditched Trackway (?) (SP 96058361–96228383), on the S.E. side of Cat's Head Wood on Boulder Clay at 270 ft. above OD. Air photographs (in NMR) show two roughly parallel lines as crop-marks, extending for some 300 m. in a S.W.-N.E. direction. They cross the line of the 57a Roman Road which is not visible on the photographs. The remains may be of prehistoric date, but they are more probably connected with the adjacent ridge-and-furrow.