Monument record 3917/1/1 - Site of St Leonards Church, Great Newton

The church of Great Newton stood here until 1449 when it was abandoned in favour of the church at Little Newton. Excavation undertaken in the 1970s found unstratified Roman pottery and a late Saxon occupation site over which the church had been erected. The south part of the church, churchyard and a large number of burials were excavated.

{1-3} Excavations; finds included medieval pottery, stone roof slates, wall plaster, painted glass and 16th century jetton; late Saxon postholes and a sleeper trench for a possible building in the church; Grid reference wrong; Roman pottery also recovered;

{6} The church of Great Newton stood here until 1449 when it was abandoned in favour of the one belonging to the almost deserted village of Little Newton, which still stands. The original church was allowed to fall into ruin and the site was later built over. During excavations in 1970 a late Saxon occupation site was discovered over which the church had been erected. The remains of the south wall and south-west corner of the church were found. These were dated to the 12th century and had evidence of a clasping corner buttress, added in the 14th century. No traces of the other external walls were noted. A large number of burials, one of which was that of a priest, accompanied by a token chalice and paten, were discovered, as well as part of the churchyard wall.

{7} The barn at Manor Farm is the traditional site of St Leonard's church, Great Newton, abandoned after 1449. It is hoped to establish the complete plan of the church before the whole area is covered with concrete. Work to date has shown the barn to lie over the body of the church, of which the 12th-century south wall, 3ft 4in thick, and a southwest clasping buttress, strengthened in the 14th century, have been located. Seventy-six skeletons, many of them children and the earliest buried in cists, have also been uncovered.

{8} Continued excavation on the site of St Leonards church failed to locate the expected N and E walls because of extensive 18 C.levelling of the site. A further 3 graves were examined, including a priest with a dummy patten and chalice.Among the finds were stone roofing slates, plain white wall plaster, painted glass, and a 16C. Jetton.

{9} At an inquiry into the state of the chapels of Great and Little Newton in 1450, it was found that there were only four parishioners at Little Newton. The Abbot of Pipewell petitioned that St Faiths and St Leonards should be united and as St Leonards was already in a ruinous state it was abandoned and the villagers were allowed the use of the materials, when and if necessary, for the repair of St Faiths. One can only say that a considerable amount must have still been standing in 1548 when, in what was probably part of the post reformation tidying up, the chapel of St Leonard was granted to John Byll and Frances Samwell 'with walls, stones, lead, glass, iron, timber, tiles and bells' {10}.

<1> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1973, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1972, p.6 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN8956.

<2> Brown, A E (ed), 1971, Bulletin of the Northamptonshire Federation of Archaeological Societies, 5/30 (Journal). SNN13960.

<3> Brown, A E (ed), 1972, Northamptonshire Archaeology, 7/44 (Journal). SNN25623.

<4> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.322 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<5> Rowley R.T.; Fowler W.J. (Editors), 1974, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (4), 4/28 (Newsletter). SNN17341.

<6> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.112/Site 8 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77380.

<7> Rowley R.T.; Fowler W.J. (Editors), 1972, CBA Group 9 Newsletter: South Midlands Archaeology (2), 2/18 (Newsletter). SNN10022.

<8> HALL D.N., 1973, CBA GROUP 9 NEWSLETTER, 3/20 (Interim Note). SNN57729.

<9> Bellamy B, 1996-7, Little Newton a Central Northamptonshire Deserted Village, p. 200-210 (Article). SNN104080.

<10> 1911, Calendar of the Patent Rolls, 311 (Document). SNN111237.

Record last edited

Oct 9 2023 10:25AM