Monument record 4114/1/2 - Manorial fishponds, Stoke Albany

13th century fishponds. Possible moat and building platforms. Small-scale archaeological investigations have revealed Victorian and later use of the ponds. Scheduled Monument.

{1} Immediately south of the main Stoke Albany to Wilbarston road there is a large sub-rectangular pond, with an earthen dam up to 3.5m high on its north side. The dam is now broken in the centre to allow the modern stream to pass through. An overflow channel at the east end of the dam allowed the ponded-up water to flow into the next section, where water ran into two channels. To the east, it passed along a broad water-course and into the ditch surrounding a small moated site. To the west the water flowed past the island in a channel which now contains the modern stream. The water from the moat passed either back into this channel through a gap in the north west corner of into a rectangular embanked pond to the north. Thereafter all the water ran into a large, irregular, shallow pond, dammed at its north end by a low bank 1.5m high. There is a small, rectangular pond at its west end. The dam has been broken at the centre. The present stream flows obliquely across the large pond and pases, in an artificial cut, under the modern road toward the earthworks further north.
West of the moat and north of the manor house scarps indicate two closes or paddocks, perhaps belonging to former houses in the village. The more northerly of these is over-ploughed with ridge and furrow.

{4} Watching brief during refurbishment to fishpond. Small quantities of 19th/20th century pot excavated in silts. Pond subject to systematic cleaning of silts in modern times - no evidence of medieval silts. Pond reported in use earlier this century. Item of footwear recovered from silts of pond during watching brief. Held at Northampton Museum. "Man's leather leg boot c.1780 - 1820, cut down to a shoe and fastened with string ties. Much repaired sole. Boot originally of high quality" Identified by A Mackay.
At the inlet (cSP80748806), a Victorian or Edwardian blue brick structure was identified. It contains a glazed ceramic 9" diameter inlet pipe. Brickwork 4 courses high and measured 0.83m wide by 0.38m high; some limestone riveting on south side. Some ironstone packed "French drains" observed during excavation of pond silts. Drains 0.35m wide by 0.75m below ground surface. Stratigraphic location suggests relatively recent date - possibly 19th century?

{5} {7} Test pits dug in scheduled pond by Northamptonshire Archaelogy - no silts demonstrably earlier than 19th century were encountered.

{15} The earthworks form a water complex strung along a stream valley and comprise 4 embayed ponds with a moat set centrally. The system has been drained and now only one pond holds any water. No traces of a building are to be seen on the moat island. See annotated 25" resurvey. The Manor House is well-preserved; see photo.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1979, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.137/Site 2 & Fig 122 (Series). SNN77380.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP88NW1 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<3> STEANE J.M., 1970, The Medieval Fishponds of Northamptonshire, 4/302+308+9 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN4943.

<4> CADMAN G.E., 1993, Watching brief at fishponds, Stoke Albany, 1993, (unchecked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49993.

<5> SOCIETY FOR POST MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 1994, Post-Medieval Archaeology (28), 156 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN3222.

<6> Taylor P., 1992, Fishponds Report 1992, (checked) (Report). SNN1339.

<7> Soden I., 1996, Test pits at Manor Farm, Stoke Albany, (unchecked) (SMR Report Form). SNN53856.

<8> English Heritage, 1992, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, (part checked) (Report). SNN47128.

<9> CADMAN G.E., 1999, NOTES, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN58147.

<10> Cadman G, 1993-4, Stoke Albany, P190 (unchecked) (Note). SNN104231.

<11> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, (unchecked) (Database). SNN102279.

<12> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p. 338-9 (Book). SNN77326.

<13> Turner, J H and Parker, J H, 1859, Some Account of Domestic Architecture in England, p. 250 (Book). SNN114664.

<14> PEVSNER N., 1961, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 412 (Series). SNN113374.

<15> Seaman, BH, 1969, Field investigators comments, F1 BHS 23-JUL-1969 (Notes). SNN111907.

<16> Calendar of Close Rolls, 1231-34 157 209 (Document). SNN3967.

<17> Unknown, 1802, Map of Stoke Albany (Map). SNN24750.

<18> 1841, Map of Stoke Albany (Map). SNN24752.

<19> Aerial Photograph, AP (CUAP,AZS 71) (Photographs). SNN112974.

<20> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, AP (RAF VAP CPE/UK/2109,4272-6) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<21> Historic England, Stoke Albany fishponds (Archive). SNN114665.

Record last edited

Jan 26 2023 9:27AM