Monument record 130/4/1 - Castle Hill (Morphed Aerial Archaeology Interpretation) checked

Earthwork: Non-destructive fieldwork

{1} Castle Hill marks site of Norman castle of late C11th to early C12th; nothing remains of castle except diminished mound on which stands modern barn

{2} Earthwork survives but no trace of castle has been discovered

{5}Remains of motte mound stand 3m high x 40m diameter

{7} 3 trenches excavated on motte; modern build up in 2 trenches which directly overlay natural limestone; demonstrated that motte consists at least partially of natural limestone hill or ridge; examination of topography suggests motte only predominantly man-made in segment from north through to east; thereafter especially along its western & southern edges motte would appear to be largely natural feature; exploitation of this provides clear reason for precise location of castle; in middle trench through motte archaeological deposits consisting of several layers of cobbling were encountered; sondage within trench revealed up to 0.15m of stratigraphy; pottery recovered dated from AD 1100-c.1250

{8} The motte was constructed at the western and highest end of a low, narrow east-west limestone ridge bounded on the west and south by a small tributary stream of the Ouse. On the north it was divided from the higher ground on which the new town was centred by a shallow depression.
Small scale evaluation trenching has shown that the motte, though damaged by the construction of a barn in the later 20th century, and despite use of the whole castle site as allotments in the mid 20th century, contains surviving stratigraphy including rubble spreads and shallow features, from a depth of circa 0.16m and with a thickness of at least 0.15m. Though standing approximately 4m high the motte is in fact on its west and south sides essentially a natural limestone rise, expanded into a motte by construction on the north and east sides. The small quantities of ceramics from the excavation indicate occupation from 11th to the 13th centuries.

<1> BARCHAM R., 1982, BRACKLEY - CASTLE CLOSE EXCAVATIONS, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN44178.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.23 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP53NE14 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<4> HEARNE T., 1744, Collectanea (Leland J.), (unchecked) (Series). SNN11786.

<5> English Heritage, 1992, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, (part checked) (Report). SNN47128.

<6> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGY UNIT, 1991, Brackley Castle Archaeological Evaluation 1991, (unchecked) (Report). SNN58290.

<7> 1992, CBA Group 9 Report for Oxford Archaeology Unit, 41-2 (unchecked) (Article). SNN43639.

<8> Ballinger J.; Foard G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brackley, Section 3.1.2.1 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100499.

<9> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Photographs). SNN104822.

Record last edited

Jun 9 2011 4:38PM