Monument record 1174/3 - Possible medieval manor

Earthwork comprising a level, roughly square area 30 metres across surrounded by a shallow ditch 7m wide. Suggested to be the site of a moated manor house, possibly the medieval manor house of Passenham. Excavations in 1967 uncovered building foundations associated with 13th century pottery.

{1} 'site of manor'.

{2} A moat lies north-east of Mill Cottages and at the south-east end of the earthwork settlement remains. It is presumably the site of the medieval manor house at Passenham, and is probably the place described as 'Scite of Manor' in a survey of 1591. It had certainly been abandoned by the early C18th when Bridges described it as an 'almost square entrenchment'. The site consists of a roughly square area, 30m across, and level with the adjacent ground. It is surrounded by a shallow ditch 7m wide. Excavation in 1967 revealed good-quality stone buildings said to date from the late C13th.

{3} Described as an abandoned, "almost square intrenchment".

{4} Nothing was surveyable in 1969.

{7} Trenches were cut across the ditch and island of the square enclosure during March-April 1967. They revealed building foundations probably representing the C13th manor house.

{10} Passenham was a late Saxon royal manor and estate centre and may have been an important administrative focus for part of the Great Ouse valley. However, the medieval descent of the Manor of Passenham is unremarkable, originating with the Ferrers family and passing through a number of minor noble families. The medieval manor was probably deserted by C16th.

{11} A moat on the east side of the main road has been claimed to be the site of the early manor house although this claim has yet to be substantiated.

{12} Mr D Mynard cut trial trenches across the ditch and island of an enclosure at SP 78273940, during April/March 1967, uncovering building foundations and 13th c potsherds. His conclusion being that this was a 13th c manor house (a).

The site shows a small rectangular enclosure on AP 3G/TUD/UK86 6017.

No surveyeable remains were seen at the indicated site, which is
under pasture.

{13-15} The moat ditch is visible on both remote sensing imagery and aerial photographs. A possible causeway is visible in the south-west corner.

<1> 1591, Passenham Survey, (unchecked) (Map). SNN47356.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.110/Site 8 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<3> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.305 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP73NE10 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<5> Morton J., 1712, The Natural History of Northamptonshire, p.536 (unchecked) (Book). SNN10113.

<6> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections. NCCAP:SP7839/001-8 (unchecked) (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<7> 1968, Journal of The Wolverton and District Archaeological Society, p. 13 (Journal). SNN11928.

<8> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Medieval), p. 26 (Article). SNN57956.

<9> Wilson D.M.; Gillian Hurst D. (Editors), 1968, Medieval Britain in 1967 (12), p. 193 (Notes). SNN55155.

<10> Parry S., 1996, An Archaeological Evaluation at Manor Nurseries, Passenham (Report). SNN4098.

<11> Woodfield P., 2005, The Whittlewood Project: Historic Buildings Survey, Passenham with Old Stratford (Report). SNN105033.

<12> Baird, J, 1969, Field Investigators Comments, 10/Nov (Note). SNN111452.

<12a> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Oral D Mynard (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<13> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, Accessed 03/06/2024 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

<14> Vertical Aerial Photograph, NMR AP 35156_003 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<15> Northamptonshire HER, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Pers comm S Twigg, 26/05/2024 (Oral Report). SNN115011.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 7:56PM