Land north of Felton, Alnwick, Northumberland. Archaeological Strip and Record (OASIS ID: adarchae1-306159)

AD Archaeology was commissioned and funded to undertake an archaeological strip and record on land at Felton, Northumberland which was required as mitigation to fulfil a planning condition prior to the construction of a housing development. The discovery and excavation of an Anglo-Saxon settlement during this project has provided a valuable contribution to the study of settlement from this period in the north-east England. Prehistoric activity on the strip and record area was represented by a pit that contained the fragmented remains of up to three vessels dating from the mid-later Neolithic period. A number of postholes, pits and several fragmentary gullys concentrated in the central and eastern portion of the excavation represent an unenclosed settlement from the Anglo-Saxon period which is likely to extend eastwards and northwards beyond the edge of excavation. The Anglo-Saxon settlement had been heavily truncated by a later ridge and furrow system which meant that complete ground plans of buildings have not survived. A total of nine radiocarbon dates were produced from the site. Bayesian modelling of the radiocarbon dates estimates that the settlement commenced cal AD 580-765 (95% probability) and probably in cal AD 620-760 (68% probability). The settlement probably went out of use by cal AD 780-985 (95% probability)