Monument record 3656/0/2 - Medieval/Post Medieval settlement remains, Walgrave

The earthwork remains of the shrunken Village of Walgrave. Early Medieval pottery has also been found on the site.

{1} Settlement Remains, formerly part of Walgrave, lie immediately S. of the village, on the side of a small S.W.-flowing stream, on clay at 99 m. above OD.

The available statistics relating to the size of Walgrave are unhelpful beyond suggesting a decline in population between 1086 and 1377. In 1801 the total population of the parish was 424.

The remains, though slight, are remarkable for two reasons. First, because part of the main hollow-way continues the line of the present lane on the S. side of the village, as well as being parallel with the existing main street to the N. it appears to form part of the rectangular layout of the modern village. Secondly, the house-sites on the S. side of the main hollow-way seem to have been constructed over existing ridge-and-furrow. Certainly in one place at least three of the adjacent ridges to the S. continue northwards and still survive within the village closes.

The remains consist of a broad hollow-way, up to 1.5 m. deep at the E. end, but only 0.5 m. deep to the W. On its S. side are a series of rectangular paddocks or closes bounded by low banks and scarps nowhere more than 0.25 m. high. Within some of these there are traces of former buildings. To the N. of the hollow-way are more indeterminate earthworks which include a long ditch or hollow-way, ridge-and-furrow, and a number of low scarps. The main hollow-way extends W. of the village remains and can be traced for some 200 m. until it meets another hollowway at right-angles {1a}). The remains had already been abandoned by the late 18th century when the area S. of the hollow-way was known as Atterbury's Close. The hollow-way itself was apparently still in use and called Gurst Lane {1b & 1c}.

{3} (SP 802717). Bowl rim found from the area of the deserted village. Held in Northamptonshire Museum.

{4-5} Additional earthworks thought to be associated with the medieval settlement of Walgrave can be seen on HE Reconnaissance aerial photographs taken on 1st November 2013. These are situated to the east at SP 8048 7208. These earthworks define small enclosures. To the south of these are the faint earthwork remains of ridge and furrow. These earthworks are alos visible on Environment Agency lidar.

{7} Possibly the same sherd recorded as (SP 75 SW 12). [NHER no 3656/0/14]

<1a> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF VAP CPE/UK/1925, 3365–6 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<1b> 1778, Map of Walgrave, (checked) (Map). SNN25740.

<1c> 1792, Map of Walgrave, (checked) (Map). SNN25741.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.148 Site 7 (checked) (Series). SNN77380.

<2> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Photographs). SNN104822.

<3> 1968, Journal of The Northampton Museum and Art Gallery (4), p. 4 (Journal). SNN114180.

<4> Aerial Photograph, 27865_001-036 01-NOV-2013 (Photographs). SNN112974.

<5> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, Environment Agency Lidar DTM SP8072 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

<6> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p. 306, 328, 353 (Series). SNN100368.

<7> ORAL REPORT, Inf Jones E, Northants SMR 1992 (Oral Report). SNN53287.

Record last edited

Oct 6 2022 10:17AM