Watching Brief at Aynho, St Michael's Church

In July 2004, Oxford Archaeology carried out an archaeological watching brief at St Michael's church, Aynho, Northamptonshire. The work was commissioned by P.R. Alcock & Son Ltd on behalf of the Parochial Church Council in respect of the installation of new WC and utility room within the church. After the new manhole was installed in the position of the old storm drain, the route of the new pipe was marked out de-turfed. The trench was then excavated using a 1m wide toothless ditching bucket on a mini excavator. This opened up an area of 1.5m x 2.4m to reach a depth of 2.4m to join the main drain. The remaining length of trench was excavated using a 0.6m toothless bucket. All this work was carried out under archaeological supervision. All archaeological features were planned at a scale of 1:100 and where excavated their sections drawn at scales of 1:20. All excavated features were photographed using colour slide and black and white print film. A general photographic record of the work was made. The watching brief did reveal a number of burials, which by their relationship in the service trench section appear to have extended northwards away from the church. They did not extend beyond the stone wall foundation, which suggests that the wall was the old north boundary wall of the church prior to its rebuilding in 1724. This is also backed up by the demolition and construction layer spreading over the burials and the wall, and being cut by a late 19th century burial vault. No burials or charnel was encountered within the thick cultivated soil layer 4 along the water pipe trench north of the line of the boundary wall suggesting the land north of wall 15 was either part of the gardens/parkland to Aynho Park prior to becoming part of the churchyard.