Monument record 368 - Lower Catesby

Mid 13th century attempted ‘new town’ foundation at the gates of nunnery. It still functioned in 1275-6 and probably continued into the 14th century, perhaps as late as the 1320s. The history of the settlement is discussed in detail by Laughton. The market had however almost certainly gone by 1330. It had a market place with shops, pillory and almshouse. There is extensive earthwork survival of monastery and of the settlement. The plan form is not fully understood and the market place has not been identified. However this is probably the best documented of the county’s market villages which functioned in the medieval period but failed in the 14th century, and would appear to have by far the highest archaeological potential of any such site in Northamptonshire.

{1} Nether Catesby deserted 1450-1700. 1495 Prioress destroyed 14 houses and enclosed and converted 16 virgates to pasture, 5 houses survived at Dissolution.

{2} A village of Catesby was first mentioned in 1086 when Domesday Book listed it as a four-hide estate with a recorded population of 25, including a priest. However this entry certainly included the village of Lower Catesby and probably yet another village in the parish, Newbold, both now deserted. About 1175 Robert de Esseby, grandson of Sasfrid who held the manor of Catesby under William Peveral in 1086, founded a house of Cistercian nuns at Lower Catesby. This priory was granted the church of Catesby, the chapel of Hellidon and lands, tenements and mills in the parish. It later received a number of other grants of land in Catesby from the Esseby family. In 1301 thirteen taxpayers are listed for Catesby and Newbold; 172 people paid the Poll Tax in 1377 and 126 in 1379. In the early 15th century land in the parish had certainly reverted to pasture for ‘untilled Grounds in Catesby and Newbold, let to Divers tenants’ are recorded. In addition the priory was running sheep on its land for in the same period accounts record large sums of money received by the priory for wool. In 1491, the prioress of Catesby destroyed 14 houses at ‘Catesby’, evicting 60 people, and enclosed land and converted it to pasture. However it is not certain that this destruction and enclosure was at either Upper or Lower Catesby; it may have been at Newbold. In , 1517-18 sixty people were said to have been evicted from Catesby. The priory was dissolved in 1536 and the parish church destroyed though part of it survived in a ruinous state for some years. Five houses are said to have existed at this time in ‘Catesby’. In 1537 the site of the nunnery and its lands was sold to John Onley and either he or his descendants built a large house out of the priory, attached to which was a set of elaborate gardens. In 1801 there were 95 people living in the parish.
About half the remaining earthworks of the village were destroyed in 1975 immediately before the Commission first visited the site but enough remains on the ground or can be seen on air photographs for the general layout to be recovered.

{13} Possibly not taken forward to Stage 2 survey and assessment.

{14} In 1301, 13 taxpayers were listed for Catesby and Newbold and 172 paid the Poll Tax in 1377, dropping to 126 in 1379. In the early C15, much of the parish was used for sheep pasture, confirmed by the Priory’s accounts for the period which indicate that considerable sums of money were derived from wool production.The village declined from the beginning of the C14, the reasons for which are complex and developed over a long period of time but include the decline in the market and fortunes of the priory, the plague outbreak of 1349 when the prioress died and the subsequent slow decline in population, leading to the deterioration of the village buildings. The decline was exacerbated by the mid-C15 agricultural slump. In 1444-5 nine tenants occupied the 14 cottages that remained; the bakehouse, the smithy and four other cottages laid in ruins. By 1448, the whole village was said to be ‘devastate’. In 1453 the village was in the hands of the prioress. In 1495, the prioress of Catesby destroyed 14 houses at ‘Catesby’ (probably at both Lower and Upper Catesby and possibly Newbold too), evicting 60 people, enclosing land and converting it to pasture. A further 60 were evicted in the three settlements between 1517-1518. At the time of the Priory’s dissolution in 1536, the parish church was at least partially destroyed, but it is said that 5 houses remained. The site of the village of
‘Shopes’ became an enclosed field of 2.5 acres, leased out as pasture.

{15} The documentary history of Lower Catesby at SP 515597 is not clear owing to its inclusion with Upper Catesby (SP 55 NW 17) and Newbold (SP 56 SW 7) in the records. (See SP 55 NW 17 for summary of documents).Earthworks partially destroyed in 1975, though recorded on air photographs. A hollow way up to 1m deep runs E-W towards Upper Catesby. On the north side are rectangular embanked closes or paddocks. Further remains cut away by a Medieval fishpond of the Priory (SP 55 NW 2) suggesting early abandonment of part of the site [RCHM plan]

{16} This site was formerly recorded under SP 55 NW 2.

<1> Allison K.J.; Beresford M.W.; Hurst J.G. et al, 1966, The Deserted Villages of Northamptonshire, p.37 (unchecked) (Report). SNN39628.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.38 site 3 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<3> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.338 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100368.

<4> PRO series E179, PRO E179/155/31 (Document). SNN115882.

<5> Steane J., 1974, The Northamptonshire Landscape, p.174 (unchecked) (Book). SNN5137.

<6> Beresford M.W., 1954, The Lost Villages of England, p.366 (unchecked) (Extract). SNN7102.

<7> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.32 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<8> Whellan, 1874, History, Topography & Directory of Northamptonshire, pp.390-3 (unchecked) (Book). SNN1002.

<9> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP55NW2 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<10> Laughton J., 2001, Catesby in The Middle Ages: an Interdisciplinary Study, p.7-32 (unchecked) (Article). SNN102519.

<11> Giggins B.L.; Launghton J., 2003, Catesby: an Interdisciplinary Study, Part II, p.35-55 (unchecked) (Article). SNN109362.

<12> Billington V., 2000, Woad-Growing in Northamptonshire, p.59-70 (unchecked) (Article). SNN102516.

<14> Historic England, 2015, Designation Assessment: Medieval settlement at Lower Catesby, p. 9 (Designation Advice Report). SNN110113.

<15> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, P. 39-40, Site 1 (Series). SNN77381.

<16> LEE, E S., 1991, RCHME Recorder, Lee ES 22-JUL-91 RCHME Recording (Note). SNN114837.

<17> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF CPE/UK/1994, 1279-80 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<18> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, CUCAP, AHG 39,41 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<19> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), AF0615738, 889630 (Archive). SNN112900.

Record last edited

Jan 31 2025 2:31PM