Monument record 403/0/20 - Possible medieval ditches (morphed aerial interpretation)

Earthwork: Good quality photography

{1} NCCAP:SP5470/003+6-7.

{2} From the east and west sides of the (manor) site broad scarps up to 1m high extend in both directions. These are the boundaries of old enclosures, some still with traces of ridge and furrow within them.

{3} Trial excavation, eight trenches were cut, revealing an C18th-C19th track infill of a ditch with modern clay dumping. A large east-west aligned ditch up to 4m wide at its top and at least 1m deep (not bottomed) with a clay and earth bank set along its south side, was exposed towards the north end of trenches 1 and 3. together with a large pit or ditch exposed the south end of trench 3, these features clearly account for the presence of the major earthwork features. No contemporary structural evidence was observed. A single sherd of Stamford ware was the only piece of dating material.

The open fields to the north were separated from the castle mound and other earthworks by this ditch and bank which are almost certainly of medieval date. Its function is assumed to have been that of a back boundary to village tenements or other enclosures adjacent to the castle though it would additionally assisted drainage of the site's clay subsoil prior to its being infilled. Its infilled west end was apparently utilised as an acces way during early modern times.

<1> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Photographs). SNN104822.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p. 14/site 2 (Series). SNN77381.

<3> Dix B., 1992, Recent Work in Northamptonshire Archaeology, p.118 (unchecked) (Article). SNN104441.

Record last edited

Oct 19 2023 8:56AM