Monument record 1301/0/22 - Medieval settlement, Thorpe End

Earthworks remains of an Early Medieval and Medieval settlement formed from a group of banks and scarps and a hollow-way which runs east into ridge and furrow recorded at Thorpe End. A hollow way extends to the east of the current road and the original nucleus of the settlement may have been located near this junction. To the south-west the remains appear to have encroached on ridge and furrow providing evidence of village expansion. Building work in the area had exposed some Early to Mid Anglo-Saxon pottery [HER no 1301/0/4], and a larger quantity of Saxo-Norman and medieval pottery.

{1} Settlement remains (TL 002720), known as Thorpe End, lie on either side of the road running S from the village on clays and sands at 60m above OD. A plan has been made of a group of closes bounded by low banks and scarps and containing building platforms, with a hollow-way running E into ridge-and-furrow. Building work in 1976 on
part of these earthworks exposed a few early to mid Saxon sherds and much Saxo-Norman and later medieval pottery.

{3} Earthwork plan. A hollow-way runs east of the present sunken north-south road. The original nucleus may have lay near this road junction. To the south-west the settlement earthworks seem to have encroached on ridge and furrow, remnants of which is visible in 2 crofts, providing evidence of expansion of the village.

{4. 5} An area of possible early medieval or medieval settlement activity is visible as earthworks on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data and was mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. Located in closes west of Shelton Road, between Four Seasons and Thorpe House Farm, and centred at TL 00163 71887, a series of contiguous earthwork banks and ditches over an area about 210 x 100 metres that may represent a number of small rectilinear platforms perpendicular to the road, along with linear ditches that may be toft division boundaries.Opposite these features in the large field to the east of the road is a three-sided ditch, with roadside forming the fourth side enclosing an area about 60 x 70 metres. Adjacent to the north side of this is an up to 12 metres wide curvilinear hollow way that extends about 350 metres NE into the field from the road. About two-thirds along its length, a 4.5 metres wide curvilinear ditch extends NW and the curves for about 338 metres, broadens to 23 metres as it turns SW and rejoins the road. To the north of Thorpe House Farm, a small 43 x 47 metres subrectangular area of amorphous earthworks may be further settlement activity, as a block of ridge and furrow cultivation abuts it on two sides, suggesting contemporaneity.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.191/Site 27 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<2> Young S.M.; Clark J.; Barry T., 1988, Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN878.

<3> Dyer C. (editor), 1975, Medieval Village Research Group (Vol.23), p.13 (unchecked) (Annual Report). SNN57852.

<4> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/CPE/UK/1925 RP 3261-3263 16-JAN-1947 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<5> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, 26-FEB-2009-30-MAR-2009 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

Record last edited

Oct 3 2024 10:00AM