Monument record 7837/1 - Possible medieval post mill

A ring ditch seen on aerial photographs as a cropmark. On excavation it was found to be a medieval post mill. It was located on a headland of the open fields of Ringstead.

[Cropmark of a ring ditch does not appear to have been recorded as part of NMP.]

{2} Recorded by Hollowell in 1969.

{3} Cropmark of ring ditch, 30m in diameter with a central pit. SP99507380. The cropmark was possibly the later post mill.

{4} A 1:2500 scale photogrammetric survey was carried out on this site by the RCHME Air Photography Unit between 30th April and 7th May 1996. The presence of the feature described above was confirmed and it was also visible as a slight earthwork on RAF vertical photographs held by RCHME (CPE/UK/1925/1258)(a). The mound is centred at SP 9949 7381, it is sub-circular, 24m across and surrounded by a dark cropmark which is interpreted as an outer ditch. The size and shape of this feature suggest that it is the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow.

{5} In the southern part of the main excavation area was a curvi-linear ditch open on its western side. From its upper fill a musket ball and a fragment of worked grinding stone were recovered. Although there were the remnants of five postholes at the centre it is not clear if these are related to this ditch. Three of the postholes clearly post-dated the Iron Age features. It has been postulated that the feature was the remnants of a postmedieval windmill ditch. However, a windmill in this location does not feature on historic maps dating from the 1880s.

{6, 7} The example at Raunds, West End was located in the south-eastern corner of Ringstead parish and comprised a ditch, open on the western side. The upcast material from the ditch was deposited to form a mound within the space enclosed by the ditch. No obvious remains of the central post or cross tree survived suggesting that the structure was situated on top of the mound. The presence of the large limestone blocks may have been supports for a superstructure. When the windmill was not in use it would have been tethered to a post supported in a pit.

A windmill in this location does not appear on any of the known historic maps for the parishes of Raunds or Ringstead, suggesting that it had certainly been demolished prior to the late 18th century. In terms of its origin the presence of Eifal lava millstone may indicate that there was a windmill on the site as early as the 13th century.

<1> Brown A.E. (Ed.), 1970, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1969 (Air Photography), p.32 (Article). SNN58608.

<2> HOLLOWELL R., 1971, Aerial Photography and Fieldwork in the Upper Nene Valley, p. 16/Site 1 (Journal). SNN106546.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 83/Site 1 (Series). SNN77379.

<4> RCHME/EH/HE Aerial Photographers comment, Carolyn Dyer/07-MAY-1996/RCHME: Ringstead Project (Note). SNN114522.

<5> Simmonds, C., 2015, Archaeological excavation on land at West End, Raunds, Northamptonshire: Interim report, 2015, p. 10 (Report). SNN110579.

<6> Simmonds C., 2016, Late Iron Age occupation on land at West End, Raunds, Northamptonshire, September 2014 to June 2015 (Report). SNN110799.

<7> Simmonds C., 2017, Late Iron Age settlement and a medieval windmill north of Brick Kiln Road, Raunds (Article). SNN111040.

<8> Horne, B (editor), 2016, South Midlands Archaeology (46), p. 45 (Journal). SNN111326.

<9> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, NMR RAF CPE/UK/1925 1258 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<10> RCHME, 1996, RCHME: Ringstead Project, Northamptonshire, AF1047392 (Archive). SNN115055.

Record last edited

Feb 5 2025 7:35PM