Monument record 5110 - Moulton Park

Medieval deer Park, in existence by the reign of Henry II, was probably formed out of two small estates in Moulton and comprised the whole of the present parish of Moulton. By 1560 the park was in a state of decay.

{2} The King’s Park at Northampton was identified 60 years ago by E.F.Leach in a useful paper in NNHFC XIV No.114 (1908). It occupied a site of approximately 450 acres and is known now as Moulton Park, about 3 miles north-east of Northampton.
The origin of the park goes back to at least as early as the reign of Henry II, since the sheriff of Northampton in Henry III’s reign was ordered not to distrain the lord abbot of Peterborough to enclose the royal park otherwise than had been customary in the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and John. The park is first mentioned specifically in 1201 “and in buying hay to feed the beasts in the park of Northampton, 37s. A Simon ‘Parcarius’ or ‘de Parco’ is referred to as holding land in Moulton between 1203 and 1214. Thereafter references in the royal records are thick and fast. John de Nevill was ordered to take 60 does and 20 bucks out of Rockingham, Salcey and Clive forests and install them in the king’s park at Northampton and to cause wild beasts captured to be placed in the park itself. Orders were given from time to time to the custodian of the park to deliver deer to the court. Robert de Maris, the custodian of the king’s park was ordered to take 20 does and deliver them to the sheriff at Northampton to be carried to Westminster for the Feast of St Edward. A year or two later 100 does were sent from the king’s park and the royal forest to be salted and carted to Westminster to prepare for the Feast of St Edward. The park was also used as a reservoir for timber. The constable of Northampton Castle was ordered to use the timber blown down by the winds in the kings park for repairing the gaol in the castle. Eleanor, wife of the king’s eldest son, the Lord Edward, was allowed four oaks from the royal park to mend her houses at Kingsthorp. Roger de Cllifford was ordered to provide sufficient brushwood from the park to warm the fires of the lord legate during his visit. The timber was sometimes sold off. Simon Passelewe and Alexander de Handen were given permission to sell part of the timber in the park of Northampton with the counsel of Hugh de Goldingham. The keepership of the park frequently went with the castle and the county. William de Insula for instance, was put in charge of the County, castle and park of Northampton and Richard Basset was instructed to hand them over. At other times the park seems to have been linked with the forest, as when Hugh de Goldingham was appointed to keep the forest between the bridges of Stamford and Oxford and the park of Northampton. The frequency of poaching shows that criminals were attracted into the park. John, the man of Robert de Veteri Ponte, had illegally entered the park with his greyhounds and was chased by the kings keepers into Moulton Church. William, son of Walter de Horton was arrested for trespassing and detained in prison awaiting the arrival of the justices. Richard de Cogenhoe was also arrested for crimes within the park.
More details in the introduction and a later history of the park has a section devoted to it in VCH (Vol.IV).

{3} Moulton Deer Park, now mostly Moulton Park industrial estate.

{7} Deer Park (centred SP 770648), comprised the whole of the present parish. It is first mentioned by name in 1201 when hay is said to have been bought `to feed the beasts in the park of Northampton'. It must however, have been in existence at least as early as the reign of Henry II for in 1227 the sheriff was ordered not to distrain the Abbot of Peterborough for failing to enclose the King's park other than had been customary in the time of Kings Henry II, Richard and John. It is surmised that the park orginated out of the lands of two small estates, one of half a hide, the other of one virgate, in the parish of Moulton which in the Domesday Book are said to have been held of Countess Judith by Biscop and Hugh. These estates are not mentioned subsequently and presumably escheated to the overlord. The park appears to have been an appendage of Northampton Castle for it is often called park of Northampton and frequently the sheriff of the county was also the keeper of the park.

There are frequent references to the park throughout the medieval period attesting to its stocking with deer, the delivery of deer from the park to Westminster, the use of timber and brushwood from the park for buildings and heating and the prosecution of poachers. By 1560 the park was in a state of decay. The two lodges within it could not be repaired for under #20 and #10 respectively while the park wall so low and in places breached so that `the dere thereof dayle and nightlye go oute and fede in the fieldes next abowte adoiyninge'. The two lodges were in existence by 1397 and survived unitl about 1861 when they were pulled down. The Great or West Lodge in the area now occupied by the buildings of Nene College, formerly Moulton Park House (SP 76306433), while the East Lodge is said to have lain on the site occupied until recently by Moulton Park Farm (SP 77556435) though the possible moated site to the N. [SP 76 SE 108] may mark its original position.

The only surviving feature of the deer park is part of the stone wall which formerly completely surrounded it. Lengths of the wall exist on the N. side of the park along Boughton Lane (c. SP 771655), while on the S. side the boundary can still be seen between Nene College (c. SP 764642) and the Parklands Housing Estate (c. SP 771639). It is marked here by a bank with a hedge on top but where the bank has been worn away by the various footpaths crossing it the stone wall can still be seen surviving within the bank. On the W. side of the park facing Boughton Green Road (SP 760644-765652) a long stretch of renewed wall survives. Two carved stones, one inscribed `HAY FORD' (Heyford) and the other `ROT TRO' (Rothersthorpe) are built into the inner face of the wall. Further inscribed stones were noted in the 1908 naming the villages of Dalyngton (Dallington), Deene, Islap (Islip), Clipson (Clipston) (now in NM) and Drayton, while in the early 19th century one naming the village of Crick was recorded. These carved stones bear witness to an old custom whereby certain villages in Northamptonshire were allotted a portion of the wall to repair. The men of the villages of Guilsborough, Orlingbury, (Chipping) Warden, Norton and Corby were said by jurors to be liable for this work in 1329 while in a law case of 1549 120 Northamptonshire villagers were said to pay an annual rent towards the repair of the wall since `tyme out of mynd'. The villagers, however, were not responsible for the repair of the whole length of the wall for in 1328, the sheriff of the county was required to ascertain by jury what proportion of the wall was to be repaired by the Crown and to carry out the work accordingly.

{10} Moulton Park, which was formerly extra parochial, was constituted a parish between 1851 and 1861 although for ecclesistical purposes it is annexed to Moulton, though now it is part of Northampton. Leland mentions the park in his diaries of his travels mentioning the stone wall and the lodge. The source goes on to explain the history of the park.

<1> LEACH E.F., 1908, Journal of The Northamptonshire Natural History Society & Field Club, p.217-26 (unchecked) (Paper/s). SNN27706.

<2> STEANE J.M., 1975, The Medieval Parks of Northamptonshire, p.213-29 (part checked) (Article). SNN37713.

<4> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.420 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<5> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.52-53 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77327.

<6> Salzman L.F.(ed), 1937, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.94-95 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100371.

<7> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.317/Site 2 (checked) (Series). SNN77383.

<8> Whellan, 1874, History, Topography & Directory of Northamptonshire, p.234; (unchecked) (Book). SNN1002.

<9> Bradlaugh Barn Association, 2005, Secrets of Bradlaugh Fields, Northampton, (unchecked) (Guide). SNN106009.

<10> The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN10247.

<11> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1974, Archaeology In Northamptonshire 1973, p. 106-7 (Article). SNN9109.

<12> Rowley R.T.; Fowler W.J. (Editors), 1974, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (4), p. 24 (Newsletter). SNN17341.

<13> Historic England, Undated, Moulton Park, Northampton, BF111667 (Archive). SNN115662.

Record last edited

Feb 5 2025 7:17PM