Monument record 27/3 - Probable site of Chacombe Manor

The site of the manor house lies at the north-west edge of the village, within a large pasture field known as Berry Close, immediately east of the church. The site occupies a low, rounded hill which dominates the village.

{2} The site of the manor house lies at the north-west edge of the village, within a large pasture field known as Berry Close, immediately east of the church. The site occupies a low, rounded hill which dominates the village. Although the site is in poor condition the topographical relationship of the manor, church and village is of interest. To the east, within the same field are other remains associated with the village.

{3} The manorship of Chacombe was given to Hugh de Anis in 1109, later it passed to the de Seagraves who did not reside here after 1254.

{4} The date at which the manor fell into disuse is not known but it is not depicted on a map of the village dating from 1696.

{5} The site of the medieval manor has not been firmly established but is stated by the RCHM as being on the mound forming the most prominent earthwork in Berry Close and at the highest point in it, dominating the older part of Chacombe village. Despite being damaged, it still has a substantial scarp, up to 2 m high, inside a ditch on the west. The proximity of this mound to the Church suggests that it is the site of a high status building and a detailed earthwork survey carried out in 2016 supported this interpretation. A trial trench placed within this area identified possible post-medieval structures, roughly built in nature, as well as a more well-built structure probably medieval and related to an ancillary structure to the manor. However, the remains were only uncovered and cleaned, but not excavated, so no further interpretation is possible.

<1> 1840, Chacombe Tithe Map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN10747.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.26 Site 3 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<3> Bowes J.P., 1997, Archaeology Survey Of Chacombe and Environs, (checked) (Report). SNN101068.

<4> Walford, J., 2013, Archaeological Geophysical Survey of the Village Land, Chacombe, Northamptonshire December 2012, p.2 (checked) (Report). SNN108595.

<5> Wass, S, 2018, Report on Archaeological Investigations Regarding Berry Close, Chacombe, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN111998.

<6> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, A/P (RAF VAP CPE/UK/1926, 1205-7; F21 58/RAF/3963, 0010-11) (Photographs). SNN104890.

Record last edited

Jul 31 2024 12:34PM