Monument record 255/1 - Possible Medieval Grange (Warden Grange, Nunnery Meadow) or West Warden deserted settlement

Cropmark of double ditched square enclosure of possible Prehistoric or Roman date. Possibly a moated enclosure; the fieldnames of Warden Grange and Nunnery Meadow suggest monastic associations. Alternatively identified as West Warden deserted village

{1} Field names: Warden Grange and Nunnery Meadow. 'Grange' names near land where tithes not communted with rest of parish at Enclosure. Farm 'Warden Grange' in East Warden in manor and parish of Chipping Warden. Nunnery Meadow = SP520500

{2} The deserted village of West Warden has been identified in the parish of Chipping Warden, north of Banbury. The vill has not been identified before because its township belonged to Warden Abbey, Bedfordshire, which built a grange on a different site. Generally assumed that 'West Warden' referred to the grange in Chipping Warden, Bedfordshire. The villagers of Chipping Warden viewed the site differently and called the vill East Warden. To complete the confusion the field where the deserted site lies is called the 'nunnery' although it was not a monastic site. Aerial photographs show a few cropmarks and ground survey revealed a central holloway with areas of building stone and 13th-century pottery lying either side, extending to a few hectares. The township was enclosed early and some of its territory became shared with neighbouring Woodford Halse and Aston le Walls parishes.

{3} Cropmark of an enclosure recorded on AP in 1981. Possibly a moat associated with Warden Grange. Double ditched and square in shape.

{4} Cropmarks of a double-ditched square feature in the bottom of a small slade immediately adjacent to Grange Ground field name. Possible moated enclosure associated with Warden Grange. Aerial photo NCCAP: SP5250/1

<1> 1837, Chipping Warden Tithe Map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN10078.

<2> MEDIEVAL SETTLEMENT RESEARCH GROUP, 1995, Annual Report, p. 36 (Annual Report). SNN105121.

<3> 1982, Aerial Photography in Northamptonshire 1981, p. 110 (Journal). SNN104561.

<4> Northamptonshire HER, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, (Info: G. Foard 22/10/1981) (Oral Report). SNN115011.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 8:13PM