Monument record 3245/1/0 - Site of medieval windmill, Strixton

A 13th to 14thC windmill mound(rems) is visible as earthworks on historic aerial photographs. Located on a field boundary with the road SSE of Church Farm, Strixton, is a 19 metres wide roughly circular earthwork mound with irregular features on top. Aerial photographs taken in 1968 show that plough levelling since 1944 has reduced the earthwork mound to a pale subcircular soil mark or scatter of stone. No features are visible on aerial photographs taken in 2018. Excavated in the 1960s.

{2} South-east of the village in the south-east corner of a field known as Mill Close in 1583. it is now a plough-damaged circular mound, 30m in diameter and 1.25m high. Excavations on the site show that the original mill was erected in the 13th century, rebuilt in the late 13th or 14th century and abandoned shortly afterwards.

{3} The windmill was of two phases. The first phase principally comprised four substantial postholes irregularly spaced around a circle of c 9ft. It was thought likely that they were for lean-to support timbers for a central post. In the north-eastern quadrant were some small postholes and stakeholes which may have been for constructional scaffolding or a permanent staircase. Some part of a, mostly later, cobble and limestone yard also dated from this phase. A second windmill was consstructed much more substantially. The postholes were carefully filled with concentric rings of limestone and then a large cross-shaped posthole network was excavated. The full length of the holes was 23ft and the width 5ft. The new structure was buried securely and the yard consolidated. The yard became littered with pot sherds, nails and other ironwork and bronze objects, mostly of a decorative nature.
The mill was dismantled and the posthole filled with blue clay which was intermixed with occupation debris and waste from a bronze smithy and a few pieces of grinding stone made from millstone grit. The bronze smithy debris did not come from this site, probably coming from a smithy at Strixton.

{4} The site of the early 14th century windmill. Excavations have determined the structural postholes etc and yielded a group of pottery from a cobbled yard. The mill was out of use by 1583, but is marked on the map.

{7,8 and 10} As described above, a roughly circular earthwork is visible on historic aerial photographs and was mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. Located on a field boundary with the road about 441 metres SSE of Church Farm Strixton and centred at SP 90529 61290, is a 19 metres wide roughly circular earthwork mound with irregular features on top. Aerial photographs taken in 1968 show that plough levelling since 1944 has reduced the earthwork mound to a pale subcircular soil mark or scatter of stone. No features are visible on aerial photographs taken in 2018.

{9} Part of the Shrunken village of Strixton.

<1> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 142/site 9 (Series). SNN77380.

<3> HALL D.N., 1973, A Thirteenth Century Windmill Site at Strixton, Northants, p. 109-118 (Article). SNN76172.

<4> 1969, Journal of The Northampton Museum and Art Gallery (6), p. 29 (Journal). SNN9670.

<5> Rahtz P. (Editor), 1971, Medieval Village Research Group (Vol.19), p. 30-31 (Annual Report). SNN58317.

<6> The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1853, Archaeologia (35) (Journal). SNN58177.

<7> Bedford Borough Council HER, 1968, Georeferenced composite layer of vertical aerial photographs taken in 1968. Held by Bedford Borough Council HER (Archive). SNN112712.

<8> Vertical Aerial Photograph, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SP9061 12-JUN-2018 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<9> Seaman, B H, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 BHS 4-AUG-70 (Notes). SNN111541.

<10> Vertical Aerial Photograph, US/7GR/LOC334 V 5005-5006 09-MAY-1944 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<11> 1974, Journal of the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery (10), p. 38-58 (Journal). SNN9217.

<12> Bedford Borough Council HER, Undated, Bedford Borough NMP, MD003015 (Archive). SNN113023.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 6:21PM