Monument record 953/1 - Long Buckby Castle

Ringwork and baileys. A trial excavation in 1955 revealed a shallow ditch or an enclosure of uncertain shape, possibly of pre-conquest or early post conquest date, which was superseded by a wall and subsequently by a bank with a deep ditch on the outside. The main earthworks were created in the mid 12th century and may have been constructed by the de Quincy family who held the manor until 1264. Scheduled.

{2} Reconstructional drawing

{4} The castle site, known today as The Mounts, comprises a ringwork with a bailey on its west side. This is one of only 5 ringworks in the county and the only one with a confirmed bailey. The site is described, with an earthwork plan, by the RCHME. It has been suggested that there was also a second bailey, based on the presence in the 1950s of a north-south earthwork on the east side of the ringwork and the hollow way to the south. These had been interpreted as the remains of a bailey ditch. However more recent evaluation of the hollow way to the south has shown there is no defensive ditch predating the road, while across the approximate location of the suggested eastern ditch only a series of small north-south boundary ditches were found.
The castle was located immediately to the north of what has been interpreted here as the main Cambridge and Northampton to Coventry road, which is likely to have been a significant factor in the siting of the castle. To the west the ground falls gently away into the small valley dividing Buckby from Murcott.
The castle was part of the main Chokes manor in 1294-5, although it is possible that it was acquired as part of the Earl of Leicester’s holding in Buckby in the early 13th century. The Earl of Leicester did construct other major castles on major roads in the county in the late 11th or 12th century, at Brackley and Lilbourne. However the Earl of Leicester’s manor at Buckby was a small one and so it is perhaps more likely that the castle was constructed by the de Quincy family, Earls of Winchester, as the centre of their much larger manor.
Excavation evidence suggests it is unlikely that the manor continued to occupy the bailey after the late 12th or early 13th century. The combination of the Chokes and the Earl of Leicester’s manors in the early 13th century will have led to rationalisation with only one capital messuage surviving. Saher de Quincy is described as of Buckby, indicating that the castle at Buckby may well have been an important residence at this time.
For full details see main report.

{5} Nothing is known of the Castle's history. However, on the assumption that it was built in its present form after the mid 12th century (after the 1955 excavations), it was perhaps constructed by the de Quincey family, later Earls of Winchester, who by Henry II's reign held the main manor of Long Buckby and who continued to hold it until 1264.

The ring motte consists of a roughly oval area enclosed by a bank 4 m. high, surrounded by a wide ditch as much as 2 m. deep in places. The ditch on the E. has been filled in in recent times, but the outline is still revealed by the vegetation. There is a gap in the centre of the W. side of the bank, though whether this is original is now impossible to determine. To the W. are slight traces of an irregular bailey bounded on the N. by a shallow ditch only 0.5 m. deep. Although the whole of the N.W. corner has been destroyed by modern housing, a plan made before the houses were built shows that the bailey extended as far as the E. side of Harbidges Lane. The S. side of this bailey is now edged by a steep scarp up to 2 m. high which also forms the N. side of a deep hollow-way running S.E. from Harbidges Lane along the S. side of the whole site. A narrow ditch in the S.E. corner, joining this hollow-way to the motte ditch, may be part of the original bailey ditch. To the W. of this ditch and thus within the assumed bailey is a large irregular mound which is perhaps the only remaining trace of the bailey rampart.
It has been suggested that there was another, larger bailey to the E. of the motte but the ground there has been entirely levelled for playing fields and no indications of one can now be seen. The form of the hollow-way on the S. side may have led to the belief that this was once part of a bailey.

In the early 18th century Bridges {11} noted that old foundation walls 'eight or ten feet' thick had been found at Long Buckby Castle. In 1955 a small excavation was carried out, across the N. ditch of the W. bailey before destruction. The tentative conclusions from this were that a shallow ditch, perhaps of an enclosure and possibly of pre-conquest or early post-conquest date, was superseded first by a wall and subsequently by a bank with a deep external ditch. Behind the wall stood a small stone building of 12th-century date. At a later date a curtain wall was constructed around the bailey.

{7} Long Buckby is one of only 5 ringwork castles in Northamptonshire and it is the only one which has baileys attached. Building has taken place on the western bailey but is restricted in extent and hence has not totally destroyed the archaeological levels. The archaeological potential of the castle therefore remains good. It comprises an oval ringwork with a 4m high bank and 2m deep ditch, with a westward facing entrance leading into the western bailey. On the eastern side the ditch has been partially filled but otherwise the ringwork is in a very good state of preservation. There is a western bailey defended by a bank and outer ditch. The western ditch is occupied by a road while the southern side has been reused as a road in the past but this hollow way is now disused and overgrown. The bailey has houses across it but the limited nature of the development means that the majority of the archaeological remains within the bailey might survive. To the east of the ringwork is the presumed site of an eastern bailey. The hollow way which runs on the south side may lie within a former castle ditch, but the line of a former ditch on the eastern side of this outer bailey has been filled in. There is no trace of a northern ditch. Although this area is likely to have been part of the castle, the existence of an eastern bailey has not been confirmed.

{8} Documentary evidence dates the construction of the castle to the early 12th century. The site was a baronial seat until the beginning of the 13th century. The motte of the castle stands in the centre of two bailies, one to the east and one to the west, whose ditches join the ditch of the motte separately on the north side but share a common ditch on the south side for a short distance. Most of the defences can be seen on the ground. Both bailies are small, the east long and narrow, the west oval. The ditches of both are deep on the south side where the gound slopes away steeply from the site. The general impression is that the common ditch belongs to the west bailey and that the east bailey was added later.
The motte's form is unusual. A ditch about 40ft broad encloses a very high bank at least 20ft high which in turn encloses a hollow oval area about 80x50 feet. The central area is surrounded by a bank up to 10ft high, and its floor appears to be about the same height above the surrounding ground. On its west side is a gap in the bank, almost certainly original, which was presumably an entry connected by a drawbridge to the west bailey.
A trial excavation was undertaken by the Ministry of Works in February 1955. The bailey bank was V-shaped in section and 10 ft deep. Its outer face was lightly revetted with small stones. No more than 6in of revetting was preserved, but it is clear it could never have been carried very high. Behind the bank were the footings of a wall running parallel to it, and behind this was a small oval hearth 1ft11in by 2ft3in, made up of several flat stones set together and reddened over the surface. The whole of the surrounding area was darkened by ashes and other occupation signs. Behind the bailey bank was a small ditch twelve foot broad and five foot deep. No sign of an accompanying bank was found. The ditch ran parallel to the bailey bank. Beneath the bailey bank were footings of a wall running roughly along the axis of the bailey bank but in a slightly more north westerly direction. The footings consisted of slabs of limestone with an outer face remaining here and there but not sufficient to assess the width of the wall.
At 20ft behind the bailey ditch were the foundations of a wall, set in the bank of the bailey and therefore clearly later than it. Its outer face was preserved to a height of two or three courses but the back was missing and it was not possible to judge its width. It was made up of undressed limestone blocks. Its course does not run parallel to the bailey ditch. It is probably a later curtain wall.
On the north side of the bailey was a small rectangular enclosure attached to it. A trench through it showed it to be comprised of a small ditch with the earth thrown up inside. Perhaps it enclosed a garden or orchard to the castle.
The tentative conclusions were that 'a shallow ditch or an enclosure of uncertain shape, possibly of pre-Conquest or early post-Conquest date, was superseded first by a wall and subsequently by a bank with a deep ditch on the outside. Behind this wall stood a small stone building. The main motte was probably built at this time. The objects associated with this building suggest that it was erected in the middle decades of the twelfth century. ....Some years later a curtain wall was constructed around the bailey'.

{9} The ringwork and bailey is believed to have been built by the de Quincey 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. 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.
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.

{11} Bridges noted that old foundation walls 'eight or ten feet' thick had been found at Long Buckby Castle.

{15} Aerial photos NCCAP:SP6267/017+19+22

{16} The results of trial trenching indicate that the land to the east of the ringwork was an undefended area devoid of domestic occupation and not an eastern bailey. This interpretation must be treated with some caution however, given the limited scale of the project.

{18} Further trial trench excavation on land to the east of the ringwork revealed seven ditches, five potential post holes and a single pit at depths of 400mm to 700mm below modern ground level, both outside and within the footprints of the proposed buildings. Stone footing of a potentially medieval wall were also identified. The general scarcity of features does not suggest intensive occupation.

{21} Site visit to inspect damage done to the monument in 1989. A vertical shaft 1m long by 0.75m wide by 1.5m deep had been dug approx 10m south of the western entrance to the ringwork. Including the topsoil, 9 different contexts were seen in the side of the shaft. Most appeared to be yellowish brown clay loam tiplines depositied during construction of the castle. 3 sherds of possible Saxo-Norman pot were found in the backfill of the trench.

{22} Geophysical survey showed no clear indication of defences or internal structures.

{23} A watching brief was carried out during the construction of houses to the east of the ringwork. It confirmed a number of features identified from the previous evaluation in 1996. Some of the ditches were located just within the line suggsted for the edfences to have had an eastern bailey, although the insubstantial nature of the features makes it uncertain if they relate to the castle or if they simply demarcate a property boundary.

[28} The trial trenching did not prove whether the area directly outside the castle earthworks is the ditch of the outer castle bailey or a later hollow way.

{29} No remains remains associated with either the castle or contemporary domestic occupation was found, and the medieval ditches that were located appear to be plot boundaries.

{30} Ring motte in a good state of preservation but the bailey to the west is being destroyed by house building. No certain evidence for a bailey to the east can now be recognized although two faint scarps are visible within what is presumed to have been the enclosed area. It should be noted, however, that what is indicated in the small inset in Thompson's plan as part of the south ditch, is in fact an old road.
Published survey (25") revised.

{31} Apart from infilling of the eastern ditch the ring work is in good condition. Only slight traces of the two baileys remain; the western has been partly destroyed by modern building and the remains of the eastern bailey ditch have been recently filled and levelled.
An old road on the south side has utilised the bailey ditch.
Published 25" survey revised.

{35} Map, drawing, plan, measurements and description of remains of castle;

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<14> Petrie, J, 2019, Mottes and 'Ringworks', Wednesday 10th April 2019 (Gazetteer). SNN111445.

<15> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

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<17> AUDOUY M., 1988, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN57399.

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<19> Webster, M., 1996, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49264.

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<33> Vertical Aerial Photograph, A/P (RA VAP 543/RA/2337 0374-5) (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<34> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), AF0615738/889386/889706 (Archive). SNN112900.

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Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 7:18PM