Monument record 368/5/1 - Possible medieval mill leat re-used as a garden feature

{1} A deep ditch with an outer bank which curves in an arc above the River Leam. Although this has previously been described as a moat, it is unlikely to have had any defensive purpose. It may have been the west boundary of the 17th-century garden, for the main west front of the house certainly faced it, but it is likely to be medieval in origin for it appears to have been used to carry water from the River Leam around the spur into the next valley. It is up to 2m deep and the outer bank is faced with stone rubble. Its north end has been damaged but the presence there of blocks of limestone and ashlar suggests that the channel may have been a leat leading water to a mill. If this explanation is correct, the ditch must certainly have been altered in later times, perhaps as a part of the 17th century gardens.

{2}NCCAP:SP5159/1-14;

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.40 site 4 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP55NW2 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1954, OS 6 Inch Mapping Series (SP55NW), (checked) (Map). SNN57526.

Record last edited

Sep 14 2015 11:11AM