Monument record 4745/4/12 - Possible medieval motte, Alderton

An enigmatic earthwork comprising a circular mound with encircling ditch. This may have been the 'moat' described in 1650 but interpreted as a 'prospect mount' by the Victoria County History and later re-interpreted as an Anglo-Saxon manor house or medieval motte. It's purpose remains unknown.

{3} A large circular mound surrounded by a broad ditch which was once water-filled. The flat top of the mound is level with the adjacent ground to the north and east and up to 1.75m high above the ground to the south and west. The ditch is between 1m and 2.25m deep below the mound. It has been suggested that this mound might be a motte or a moated site but it is much more likely to be a mount, contemporary with the rest of the garden. Such mounts raised above formal gardens were a normal feature of this period.

{4} This is presumed to be the 'moat' mentioned in a document of 1650 {5}. Notes that many historians and archaeologists dispute the interpretation that this is a prospect mound as it is too low and that the top is large enough to support a significant structure. A geophysical survey undertaken by Time Team identified extensive stone rubble across its top. There is a causeway across the ditch which roughly aligns with the axis of Church Street. Kliene [owner of the property and researcher] concluded that the mound may be a Saxon defended manor house, although the author also posits that it may be a Norman motte.

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

<2> Kliene J. S., 2000, The Manor Houses Of Alderton - A Short History With Illustrations, (unchecked) (Interim Report). SNN100551.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.62 site 6 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<4> Petre, J, 2020, Alderton- super-ringwork & suspect(ed) motte (Article). SNN117040.

<5> Miscellaneous documents, E317/Northants/15, ff. 2-4 (Document). SNN57469.

<6> Riden P.; Insley C., 2002, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p. 45 (Series). SNN102540.

Record last edited

Apr 1 2026 12:39PM