Scheduled Monument: Long Buckby Ringwork and Bailey (1013015)

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The Castle ringwork at Long Buckby, known locally as The Mounts, lies in the centre of the village. The ringwork consists of a roughly oval bank 4m high which surrounds a central area 23m x 15m. The interior of the ringwork is raised slightly above the surrounding land surface and on the west side of the ringwork the bank is lower indicating the original entrance to the interior. The ringwork is surrounded by a ditch up to 2m deep in places, although this has been partially filled in on the east side. To the west of the ringwork lies the remains of a peripheral sub-rectangular bailey which originally extended as far as the east side of Harbidges Lane. The north western part of this bailey was destroyed in 1955 when houses were built on the site. To the east of the ringwork is located a second peripheral sub-rectangular bailey, the extent of which is marked by the remains of a shallow ditch and slight bank indicating the outer rampart of the bailey. Along the south side of the monument are the remains of a hollow-way which runs for the whole length of the site. In the 18th century substantial foundation walls were recorded at this site. In 1955 a small excavation in the north west corner of the site, carried out prior to house building, revealed that the bailey had been enclosed by a wall, and that this had been superseded by a bank and deep external ditch. A building of 12th century date was also discovered with a curtain wall. The ringwork and bailey is believed to have been built by the de Quincy family in the 12th century. The family were created Earls of Winchester and held the main manor of Long Buckby from the time of Henry II until 1264. All buildings and outbuildings on the site are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath is included, with the exception of the area of the house at number 19 Harbidges Lane, which is totally excluded from the scheduling. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements. They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60 with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular significance to our understanding of the period. Long Buckby is one of seven surviving ringworks in Northamptonshire and has two largely undisturbed peripheral baileys. The ringwork is well documented historically and through partial excavation. It will retain considerable potential for the preservation of archaeological evidence concerning the development of the buildings and defences of the ringwork and the baileys.

Record last edited

Sep 5 2023 9:26AM