Monument record 1160/1/75 - Castle Hill

A prominent mount known since 1740 as Castle Hill and as 'Castle Hills' in the 17th-century. It is depicted on the 1747 Noble and Butlin map. The outer edge of a ditch was found at the junction of Castle Street and Phoenix Street in 1958, leading to speculation that it may be the remains of an early motte predating the castle. Excavation in 1962 disproved this theory, although extensive Saxon and medieval depsoits were identified. Instead the mount appears to have been constructed in the mid 17th century, probably as part of the town's Civil War defences. Later robbing of the medieval structure's walls may date to just after the 1675 town fire.

{1} Speculates that Northampton Castle started life as motte & bailey castle of type common to important castles of time; goes on to hypothesise that Castle Hill originally formed motte & first keep built on top of this;

{2} Supports VCH interpretation of original motte being Castle Hill;

{4} A prominent mount known since 1740 as Castle Hill and as 'Castle Hills' in the 17th-century. It is depicted on the 1740 Noble and Butlin map. The outer edge of a ditch was found at the junction of Castle Street and Phoenix Street in 1958, leading to speculation that it may be the remains of an early motte. Excavation in 1962 disproved this theory, although extensive Saxon and medieval deposits were identified including evidence of 10th and 12th century settlement with a line of postholes and probable rubbish pits and later the remains of a substantial medieval building interpreted as the remains of St Mary's Church [HER: 1160/1/75]. The building was destroyed in the 16th/17th centuries apart from the north wall which was probably used as a boundary wall and in the 17th century a ridge of sand, silt and soil was piled over the demolition layers and apparently tipped in from the north-east. Pottery in the tip lines included sherds of the 13th and 14th centuries but also a few of the 15th-17th centuries. There were no tobacco pipes. This is all likely to be spoil from the ditch. Probably created as part of the town defences during the Civil War. In the later 17th century the site was dug over for stone. The robber trenches contained large quantities of burnt rubbish- probably from the fire.

{5} Flanker situated to the NE of the Castle and possibly part of the Castle Mount. Conjectural layout based on Hooper's Survey of 1645 of the Civil War defences. Its form is compatible with a Half Moon or Avant Guard. In the later 17th century it was described as the town muck hill.

{7} Further remains of a north-eastern gateway into the castle may survive beneath the remnant of the Castle Hill mound and the road to the north [Castle Street], lying to the immediate north-east of the of the Inner Bailey. This might be the only survival of once extensive stone-built barbican defences protecting the approach to the north gate. The area where the 1962 trenches were located is still undeveloped and although surrounding properties have been redeveloped, the depth of the deposits encountered in the 1962 trenches, including the base of the mound and anything beneath, means that these deposits may still survive.

<1> Page W. (ed), 1930, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire- The Borough of Northampton, p.33-34 (checked) (Series). SNN100370.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP76SW14 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<3> Welsh, T., 2012, Castle Mound History and Archaeology, (unchecked) (Note). SNN108567.

<4> Alexander J., 1961-1964, Northampton Castle excavations 1961-1964, The excavations at Northampton (Castle Hill) 1962 (Unpublished Report). SNN3868.

<5> Foard G.R., 1994, The Civil War Defences of Northampton, Fig.10 (checked) (Article). SNN826.

<6> Welsh T.C., 2000-01, Documentary Sources for The Course of The Medieval Town Wall, Northampton, (unchecked) (Article). SNN103958.

<7> Chapman, A, 2021, Northampton Castle Part 1: Introduction, pre-castle archaeology, and the history and topography of the castle, p. 140, 173 (Article). SNN112914.

Record last edited

Jun 10 2025 10:41AM