Monument record 3250/1 - Possible site of Bury Manor

Fishponds moat and manor (site), 13th to 15th century pottery. The remains of a medieval moat and fishponds are visible as earthworks on historic aerial photographs. Located in small closes north of Cobb’s Lane about 300 metres WNW of the church, Wollaston, earthworks are recorded on the 1st edition OS map dated 1885. Visible on aerial photographs taken in 1944 and 1947 is an L-shaped moat flanked by linear earthwork banks, the end of the moat broadening into a rifle-butt shape. Immediately west of this is a subrectangular pond, with flanking earthwork banks. To the S and N are linear embanked slopes at Duck End that may relate to former field boundaries. Aerial photographs taken in 1968 show that residential housing expansion had been constructed over the features, which have presumably been levelled.

{1} Building work west of the churchyard in February 1967, uncovered numerous medieval sherds; jar rims in St Neots ware, a range of shelly wares, mostly 13th century, and several pieces of glazed Brill type jug. One Romano-British colour-coated base converted to a spindle whorl was also found;

{2}Probably one of two main manors in Wollaston; "....according to tradition a manor house stood here....";

{3}The Domesday survey provides the first written record of Wollaston, noting the existence of two manors. After the reformation, the two manors and Priory were given to the Duchy of Lancaster which leased out much of the land.

{4} Moat & fishponds of manor site; APs show rectangular embanked pond 50m x 40m in north-west corner of large enclosure about 3ha in area and bounded by a bank and external ditch. To the north were a series of smaller ditched enclosures with possible house platforms within them; earthworks were destroyed by housing development in 1967; probably the remains of Bury Manor, one of the two main manors of Wollaston. The name of the area was once Hall Yard, 'where according to tradition was formerly a mansion house'. During the destruction of the of the earthworks a large quantity of medieval pottery, including St Neots ware and 13th-15th century types, was found. Parts of the stone foundations of a wall were also noted.

The site is indistinctly shown on the map of the parish of 1774 and the Enclosure map of 1789. There is certainly a long pond marked at the east upper end of the site, with a watercourse running down the slope to a rectangular ditched enclosure which may have been a moat. In the field to the south a series of embanked closes still remain, with ridge and furrow between them. These appear to be abandonned paddocks, which may have been connected with the rest of the site.

{7} Mr D N Hall (local archaeologist) has also worked on this site and said the finds were made when the field, which had a range of fishponds along its northern edge, was levelled prior to agricultural
and building operations.

{8, 10, 11} As described above, the remains of a medieval moat and fishponds is visible as earthworks on historic aerial photographs and was mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. Located in small closes north of Cobb’s Lane about 300 metres WNW of the church, Wollaston and centred at SP 90577 63140, earthworks are recorded on the 1st edition OS map dated 1885. Visible on aerial photographs taken in 1944 and 1947, an L-shaped moat is 58 metres long and 10 metres wide, aligned SSW-NNE and flanked on its west side by a linear earthwork bank, turning WNW for 47 metres and narrowing to 4.5 metres wide. On the WNW end of the moat, it turns W and broadens into a rifle-butt shape some 42 x 22 metres at its widest. Immediately west of this is a subrectangular pond some 49 x 40 metres at its widest. Earthwork banks flank this on the west and south side. To the S and N of this are several linear embanked slopes at Duck End that may relate to former field boundaries. Aerial photographs taken in 1968 show that residential housing expansion had been constructed over the features, and have been levelled.

<1> Brown A.E. (Ed.), 1967, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1966/67 (Medieval), p. 29 (Article). SNN26725.

<2> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p. 199 (Book). SNN77326.

<3> Richards K., 2001, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Wollaston, Section 1.0 (Report). SNN101566.

<4> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 181/Site 33 (Series). SNN77380.

<5> Salzman L.F.(ed), 1937, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.58-59 (Series). SNN100371.

<6> Hall D.N., 1977, Wollaston: Portrait of A Village (Book). SNN48190.

<7> BHS, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 BHS 4-AUG-70 (Notes). SNN111541.

<8> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, US/7GR/LOC334 V 5001-5002 31-MAY-1944 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<9> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), Epoch 1 Ordnance Survey 1:2500 scale map Northamptonshire 1885 (Map). SNN112944.

<10> Bedford Borough Council HER, 1968, Georeferenced composite layer of vertical aerial photographs taken in 1968. Held by Bedford Borough Council HER (Archive). SNN112712.

<11> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, A/P (RAF VAP CPE/UK/1994, 2228-9; CPE/UK/2546, 3137-8) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<12> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/CPE/UK/1994 FS 2229 13-APR-1947 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<13> 1974, Journal of the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery (10), p. 38 (Journal). SNN9217.

<14> Bedford Borough Council HER, Undated, Bedford Borough NMP, MD003015 (Archive). SNN113023.

Record last edited

Apr 28 2022 12:36PM