1MC12 - Stage 2 - Main Works Civils for C2 and C3 Sectors Survey Report for Construction Integrated Recording at C30073 Greatworth Well Northamptonshire

Construction Integrated Recording. Due to the expected depths, the well was excavated in stages of 0.5 to 1m, depth dependant on the integrity of the deposit and well structure. At each stage the fill deposit was half sectioned and recorded. The well structure was left in place where possible, during this phase. The process was repeated for the second half. Human remains were excavated and recorded following the Employer's Human remains and monuments procedure (HS2-HS2-EV-PRO-0000-000008) and Technical Standard Specification for historic environment investigations (HS2-HS2-EV-STD-000-000035 Methodology for archaeological excavation of human burials). The well, with the top of the shaft observed at a height of 166.86m AOD, was discovered during a previous phase of works and excavated to a depth of 160.50m AOD (5.3m below ground level). During the Construction Integrated Recording , the well was further excavated to a depth 158.4m AOD, the suggested impact depth of the planned construction works. To establish the maximum depth of the well, auguring was undertaken until resistance was met at circa 1.4m below the previous excavation level. The well was subsequently excavated to 157.0m AOD, where no base was reached. Subsequent auguring suggested that the well was likely to be at least 0.8m deeper still. Remaining well deposits were preserved in-situ. The circular well structure was situated in a construction cut and was built from roughly hewn stones derived from the local geology. Roman pottery dating between AD 160 and 410 was found amongst the packing deposit situated between the well structure and the construction cut. The basal fill of the well contained a single sherd of Roman pottery and accumulated during- or shortly after the period that the well was in use. Situated on top of the basal fill was the roughly crouched skeleton of a young (18-25 years) adult male. The skeletal remains indicated that the deceased likely suffered from an infectious disease such as brucellosis or tuberculosis. The skeletal remains were overlain by the upper fill of the well, which mainly consisted of coarse stones. This fill was interpreted as a dumped layer and contained two Roman hobnails, sherds of pottery with a date of between AD 250 and 410 and a single sherd of Samian ware which belonged to a vessel with a date of between AD 140 and 230.