Monument record 1679/13 - Medieval Vinyard, Vine Close

A vineyard is recorded in Higham Ferrers by the end of the 13th century and was probably located in an area known as The Vines in later centuries.

{1} A 3 acre vineyard existed in Higham by 1298. In 1313-14 the wages of a vine dresser and payment for 38 men gathering grapes and making must are recorded, while the grass in the vines was said to be worth nothing that year. In 1464-6 the close called The Vines was held at farm with the fishpond there for 10/-. This close was held at farm by the warden of the College in 1535 and is probably part or all of the anciently enclosed close called The Vines to the west of the town recorded in 1737. However the whole hillside to the west of the Bond End was known as Vine Hill in the C18th, but the majority of this lay in open field. The close called The Vines lay on fairly level ground overlooking the Nene on Northampton Sand, but with the northern end sloping northward into a small valley. The close contained the earthworks of a fishpond in the C19th, at the north end of the close in the bottom of the small valley on Upper Lias Clay. However this close comprised 13 acres and so if the vineyard existed there in the late C13th and early C14th then it must have encompassed a much smaller part of the area.
The fishpond at the north end of The Vines, in the valley of Kings Meadow Lane, though now levelled may contain environmental deposits relating to the existence of the vineyard, while the close itself may contain archaeological evidence of the vineyard.

<1> Foard G.; Ballinger J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Higham Ferrers (Medieval - Industrial), (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100543.

<2> Bainbridge T., 1789, Higham Ferrers, 1789 (NRO Map 1000), (unchecked) (Map). SNN100544.

Record last edited

Nov 24 2020 8:45AM