Monument record 4585/0/1 - Longman's Hill

An oblong mound which has been much disturbed, it has been interpreted as a Neolithic long barrow but is probably a Saxon burial mound. Saxon urned cremation burials, glass fragments and a spear head found.

{1} Marked and annotated as Lymans Hill Tumulus.

{2} The mount known as Longman's Hill is of great interest. Its attribution as a long barrow is doubtful, but the Anglo-Saxon material said to have come from it or from the close vicinity is of considerable importance.
It lies in a prominent position at the south-east end of Pitsford village. The large rectangular mound is orientated east-west, 30m long x 11m wide, 1.5m high to the east and 1.75m high at its west end. The flat top is 2.5m wide at the east and 4m wide at the west end. It is badly damaged and the west end has been altered by a modern pathway. There is no trace of a ditch. It was first noted in the C18th when it was described as an oblong about 10yds wide and not encompassed by a ditch.
When the adjacent road was widened in the early C19th the mound was apparently cut into and skeletons were found.
In 1882 Sir Henry Dryden investigated a 'tumulus' which he described as Roman, in Brampton Lane, Pitsford. He reported that in an area of about 90yds x 10yds he had found '14 urns containing ashes, bones and pieces of glass and brass'. His sketches show that at least two of the urns were Saxon and one of the glass objects was the greater part of a Claw Beaker. There was also a socketed spearhead. It is not absolutely certain that these finds came from the mound and it has been suggested that their location was c.600m to the north-west (at SP74706840). However, it seems likely that Dryden's excavation was in or around the mound.
A later authority claimed that bones were discovered at the east of the mound when a local farmer dug there, and that a human thigh bone had been discovered on the south side. The same writer regarded the mound as a chambered long barrow. It is no longer possible to say whether this is so.

{3} An oblong mound much disturbed by road and gardens. Its classification as a Bronze Age barrow is presumed without excavation. All the finds suggest that it was concerned with a Saxon cemetery. Plan.

{4} The mound is orientated east to west, 30m long x 11m wide, 1.5m high to the east and 2m high to the west; its flat top is 3m wide. The mound is truncated at its west end by a modern path. There is no trace of surrounding ditches.

{5} A rectangular mound 10yds wide and with a surrounding ditch. Possibly Neolithic and/or possibly Saxon.

{6} The mound is 100ft long x 30ft wide and between 5 to 8ft high. It is interpreted as an unchambered long barrow. The mound was originally longer but a farmer is said to have removed a quantity of earth from the east end, from which bones were found. It is not known whether the bones were human but a human thigh-bone was picked up on the south side of the barrow. Finds recovered from north-west end of mound after it was partially ploughed away prior to construction of new bungalows; "swords & pistols" are said to have been ploughed up; destruction carried out 50 years prior to 1948; reference to swords & pistols may result from idea that this was a Civil War burial site; finds said to be held in Northampton Museum. Site name: Lymans Hill

{8} Marked and annotated as Lymans Hill Tumulus.

{9} Excavation of Saxon cemetery in 1882. 14 cremation urns were recovered containing portions of fused glass and "brass" and pieces of twisted ?iron fragments, ash and cremated bone. Found from an area 90yds x 10yds. Half the urns were plain and half decorated with "cross key" marks, lines and swellings. They were found at a depth of between 18ins and 24ins. A piece of comb was recovered from one urn as well as an iron spearhead and fragments of a glass claw beaker.

{10} A small-scale programme of geophysical survey was undertaken in November 2015. In particular, the GPR survey demonstrated significant potential across the barrow mound itself. A major aim of the survey was to characterise the ditch profile around the barrow. Unfortunately, this has been met with only partial success, given the extensive disturbance that was noted in all surveys across the site.

{14} Dryden said tumulus was Romano-British but his drawings clearly show at least two early Saxon urns and part of a glass Claw Beaker. There is some uncertainty as to whether Dryden's finds were from mound itself. Excavation on or adjacent to the mound is still the most likely explanation. Doubt arises because of his location given as Brampton Lane which lies west of road to Market Harborough.

{15} Three urns and part of a glass claw beaker, comb fragments and an iron spearhead were all given to Northampton Museum by A.T.Lloyd.

{16} (SP7568) Three sherds of Anglo-Saxon pottery are listed as found in Pitsford.

{21} An oblong mound, surveyed at 1/2500. It has been much disturbed by road and gardens and in its present form (preserved by the Local Council with a plaque saying it is a Bronze Age barrow) is unclassifiable without excavation. As it was oblong when Morton wrote, that presumably was its original shape, but I do not think it was a Long Barrow, and all the finds suggest that it was concerned with a Saxon Cemetery and nothing else.

[22} No change.

{?} There is a local belief that the mound contains the remains of soldiers killed at the Battle of Naseby.

<1> Eyre T. (Revised by Jefferys T.), 1779, Map of the County of Northamptonshire, (checked) (Map). SNN1852.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.161 Site 4 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP76NE1 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<4> English Heritage, 1992, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, (part checked) (Report). SNN47128.

<5> Morton J., 1712, The Natural History of Northamptonshire, p.548 (unchecked) (Book). SNN10113.

<6> Fereday, J., 1949, Long Barrow Near Pitsford, Northants, p.218-20 (checked) (Article). SNN19701.

<7> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<8> Bryant A., 1827, Map of The County of Northampton, (checked) (Map). SNN2733.

<9> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/217/1 (Archive). SNN115.

<10> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.244 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100368.

<11> Meaney A.L., 1964, Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites, p.195 (unchecked) (Gazetteer). SNN10289.

<12> Wetton, 1849, Guidebook to Northampton and its Vicinity, p.96 (unchecked) (Book). SNN1032.

<13> Carey, G. And Ashby, D., 2015, Geophysical Survey, Longman's Hill Long Barrow, Pitsford, Northamptonshire: GPR, Magnetic and Resistivity Survey (Report). SNN110170.

<14> FOARD G.R., 1980, Oral Report to SMR, (checked) (Oral Report). SNN51294.

<15> Northampton Museum Topographical Index, Morris J. 1948 (unchecked) (Index). SNN1470.

<16> MYRES J.N.L., 1977, A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Pottery of The Pagan Period (Both Vols), p. 103 (Book). SNN55363.

<17> The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1853, Archaeologia (35), p.394 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN58177.

<18> SUPPLEMENTARY FILE, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN52253.

<19> 1968, The Chronicle and Echo, 25th April (Article). SNN59734.

<20> 1969, Journal of The Northampton Museum and Art Gallery (6), 47-8 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN9670.

<21> Phillips, AS, 1962, Field Investigators Comments, F1 ASP 27-APR-62 (Note). SNN113328.

<22> Colquhoun, FD, 1969, Field investigators comments, F2 FDC 3-MAR-69 (Notes). SNN112950.

<23> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), 889770: RCHME: Longman's Hill Mound, Pitsford, Northamptonshire (Archive). SNN112900.

<24> 1968, The Chronicle and Echo, 29th April (Article). SNN54881.

Record last edited

Feb 4 2025 7:22PM