Monument record 4701/1 - Ashton Manor

Ashton moated site is oval and is between 65m and 75m in diameter. It encompasses Ashton Manor and its outbuildings. The visible architecture of the manor house dates to the 16th and 17th centuries. The present entrance to the island may be the location of the original entrance causeway. The ditch of the moat is almost complete, but has been slightly altered on the north side by the placing of a farm track and on the south side a portion has been destroyed by buildings and a garden.

{1} {3} Moat (SP 764 500) lies immediately N. of the village, on land sloping steeply S., on Oolitic Limestone and Upper Lias Clay at 90m. above OD. In 1874 Whellan recorded that the manor house had stood 'north of the church... surrounded by a broad deep moat' but the remains have been badly damaged and the ditch partly filled. A level, oval paltform, about 45m. by 40m., is bounded on the W., S. and E. by a wide ditch, 2m. deep on the downhill side but only 1m. deep on the uphill side. On the N. the original ditch and platform appear to have been cut back in to the hillside but the ditch has apparently been filled in at this point. Only a scarp 0.25m. high marks its outer edge. The manor house standing within the moat appears to be of 16th and 17th century date but the earliest depiction of the site is on a map of 1768; the moat was then water-filled on the S. and E. sides. The map also shows a long narrow pond running E-W. on the line of, but detached from, the S. part of the moat (SP 76515002-76575001), and a second pond to the S. (SP 76404994-76454994). Both have been destroyed but a low scarp marks the N. edge of the southernmost pond.

{3} A single archaeological trench was excavated within the scheduled area. At the western end of the trench was a layer of yellowish grey clay containing flecks of charcoal, fragments of animal bone and 2 sherds of medieval shell-tempered coarseware pottery (with a date range of AD1100-1400). Would appear to relate to former medieval occupation.

Access to the present manor house is gained by a metalled road occupying a causeway supported by a buttressed stone wall. This causeway was located beneath a layer of modern road surfaces. The upper layer was a mixture of coarse limestone rubble (max size 0.30 x 0.25 x 0.20m) with stratum of finer, pounded rubble (max size 0.15m x 0.10 x 0.10m) below. 2 sherds of medieval pottery found in lower layer assumed to be residual as post-medieval pottery was also found.

{4} Ceramic evidence giving a terminus post quem of the mid C18th for construction of the causeway.

{5} Three trial pits were hand dug on the site of a proposed garage. In all three trenches, the main part of the overlying sequence comprises layers of clay containing varying amounts of limestone. These produced little dating evidence, but on balance they appear to be of medieval date, probably C13th -14th, and in trial trench 3 thay also produced a small assemblage of residual Roman pottery. The nature and the function of these clay layers is uncertain. However, at 500-700mm thick they clearly comprise a substantial dumped deposit and so may denote the presence of either a localised bank or a more extensive platform, and formed of redeposited natural clays and limestone that may have come from the digging of the moat. Trial pits 1 and 2 contained a layer of clay containing small fragments of limestone, pieces of brick and both ceramic and roof tile, plus sherds of post medieval pottery and clay tobacco-pipe stems.

{7} A watching brief was undertaken during the construction of a garage. The remains of a possible structure, perhaps one of several outbuildings of the medieval moated manor site was found. The remains comprised a substanstial wall, with a possible return that was substanstially robbed out. The wall was aligned east west, roughly parallel to the existing manor house buildings, and had an excavated length of 4.4 m before contiuning under the east baulk. There were at least two courses of wall.
At the western end of the wall there was a possible butress surviving as the northwest corner of the structure. There is a robber trench associated with this which contained two pottery sherds including one dating to the mid C15th which suggests that the structure had fallen out of use and had been robbed by this date.
Within the structure a dark grey clay abutted the internal face of the wall and was probably an internal floor of the building. Two sherds of mid-late C12th pottery were recovered from the fill. Unless the sherd were residuall the building floor may date to this period.
Cutting through the floor was a circular limestone structure perhaps representing an oven or a well.

Oyster shells and pottery sherds were found during the excavation as well as some post medieval pottery sherds. A sub circular feature of grey silty clay was found found which may represent a posthole. Its fill consisted of pitched limestone pieces which may represent packing for another posthole.

{9} On the 1768 map the moat was shown as water-filled on the south and east sides.

{10} Oval moated site 65-75m diam. Present entrance is possibly the original one. Ditch slightly altered on north side, destroyed to south side. Survives to 10m wide X 1-2m deep, and still waterlogged to the east.

{11} A watching brief was undertaken in March 1997. A small area of brownish yellow clay and limestone flecks was seen during an excavation at the south east corner of the moat. An associated sherd of medieval shelly ware and a piece of Roman jar, both in a good state of preservation, provide a terminus post quem of between AD1200-1400 for the deposit. The layer forms part of a more extensive and deeper horizon which might be associated with the infilling of the moat.

{12} Ashton Manor has recently been restored. It is certain that the existing house is about half of what survived at least until 1729. From tree-rings it is guessed to date from c 1490. A good deal of the moat has been dug out.

{13} Manor house not outstanding; the earliest visible architecture is late 16th century. See photograph. The moat remains in part only. See annotated/revised 1/2500 survey.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.7 site 2 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<2> Whellan, 1874, History, Topography & Directory of Northamptonshire, p.561 (unchecked) (Book). SNN1002.

<3> Blinkhorn P., 1994, Archaeological Excavation and Recording at Ashton Manor Moated Site, Northants (SAM 13615), (checked) (Report). SNN28537.

<4> BLINKHORN P., 1994, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49588.

<5> Chapman A.; Masters P., 1998, Archaeological Evaluation at Ashton Manor Moated Site, Northamptonshire (SAM No.13615), (checked) (Report). SNN103615.

<6> CHAPMAN A., 1998-9, Ashton, Ashton Manor Moated Site, (checked) (Journal). SNN104051.

<7> Atkins R., 2000, Archaeological Watching Brief At Ashton Manor Moated Site, Northamptonshire (SAM No. 13615), (checked) (Report). SNN100329.

<8> Chapman, A. & Chapman, P., 2000-01, Ashton Moated Manor House, (checked) (Journal). SNN103991.

<9> 1768, Map of Ashton (Map). SNN19017.

<10> English Heritage, 1992, English Heritage Scheduling Notification (Report). SNN47128.

<11> NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGY, 1997, Archaeological Watching Brief and Recording at Ashton Manor Moated Site, Northants SAM No.166 (Report). SNN72406.

<12> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Letter (J. Fisher - owner 30 Dec '61) (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<13> Baird, J., 1970, Field investigators comments (Notes). SNN110341.

Record last edited

Jul 2 2024 9:20AM