Monument record 88 - Astwell Medieval Deer Park

Deer park, probably medieval, although undocumented. Before modern destruction the park was bounded by an almost continuous bank; traces of an internal ditch are also visible in places on aerial photos. Now only only short sections survive

{1} A Deer park occupied a large area in the east of the parish and apparently extended eastwards into the north west part of Syresham parish. No record of its existence has been noted in medieval documents and the park created in 1547 by Sir Thomas Lovett of Astwell probably lay to the north of Astwell Castle on the site of the former village. Field names on a map of 1864 (NRO) and the modern names Astwell Park and Astwell Park Farm, as well as the surviving earthworks, prove beyond doubt that a deer park once lay here. The moated site situated towards the west edge of the park presumably represents a park keeper’s lodge. The park covers around 200 hectares. Hedge banks within the park suggest that it was subdivided
into closes of unknown purposes.
Before modern destruction the park was bounded by an almost continuous bank. The bank formerly ran south east across the centre of a long narrow field immediately east of Astwell Park. This part of it has now been destroyed, but on air photographs taken in 1947 it is clearly visible, with traces of an internal ditch. At the Syresham parish boundary it fades, to recommence 200 m. to the east in Syresham parish, as a broad hedge-bank up to 5m wide and 1m high, curving south east parallel to the modern road. The next section is lost, in a field with 19th-century broad ridge-and-furrow across it, but the boundary reappears south of Wild House as a large hedge-bank which runs south west to a point a little north of Syresham village and then turns until it meets the Helmdon parish boundary. The bank then follows the irregular parish boundary until it meets the stream flowing south from the moated site. At this point the park boundary continues west and then swings north in a broad curve until it reaches a droveway running south west from Astwell Park. The bank, here 1m high, runs north east along the south east side of the droveway but, at the bend in the droveway, continues north east in a sinuous line. Here it has again been ploughed out but it certainly once had an inner ditch. The bank met the Astwell- Syresham road where it turned east and ran to Astwell Park.

Aerial photo NCCAP: SP6143/4

{5} Archaeological observation of groundworks at Astwell Park Farm found no evidence of the former park pale.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.86 site 12 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77382.

<2> 1864, MAP, (unchecked) (Map). SNN14382.

<3> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, A/P (RAF CAP CPE/UK/1926, 3224-6, 5224-6) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<4> Hall D., 2001, The Woodland Landscapes of Southern Northamptonshire, p.33-46 (unchecked) (Article). SNN102520.

<5> Wilson, M., 2016, Astwell Park Farm, Astwell Road, Helmdon, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Investigation, 2016
Archaeological Investigation, (checked) (Report). SNN110583.

Record last edited

Feb 3 2025 8:12PM