Monument record 1787/0/5 - Probable medieval settlement remains, south of Church Street

An area of low earthworks west of the church on the south side of Church Street. The site had been abandonned by 1802. Archaeological evaluation identified a group of medieval features dating to between 1100-1400 and included ditches, pits and gullies. A large ditch and bank earthwork was found to be of modern date

{1} Settlement remains (TL 034707), formerly part of Hargrave village, west of the church on the south side of the village street. An area of low earthworks including platforms and banks is separated from the adjoining ridge-and-furrow by a large bank and ditch. The site had already been abandoned by 1802 {3}. Other building sites exist, or existed, elsewhere in the village, on plots between standing houses.

Group of features dated generally from AD 1100-1400 were revealed during excavation; features included shallow gullies & pits & 1 ditch. The density of the features increased towards the street frontage.

{4}Medieval pit exposed during building work; contained C13th pottery including Lyveden ware;

{5} Trial trench excavation identified a group of features dated generally from AD 1100-1400; features included shallow gullies & pits & one ditch. The density of the features increased towards the street frontage. One excavation trench cut through the earthern bank; no direct dating evidence was recovered but relationship to subsoil indicates that bank cannot have been created before C15th & may relate to C19th brickworks. The large feature to the south was cut into the bank and may form a broad ditch, but was thought likely to have been a haul road since it appeared to be rutted by vehicular traffic; irregular undulations & hollows may denote shallow clay pits associated with brickworks; it is possible that an L-shaped pond with steep sides may also have been excavated for clay.

{7-9} As described above at {1}, an area of probable medieval deserted settlement is visible as ill-defined earthworks on historic aerial photographs and remote sensing data and was mapped as part of the Bedford Borough NMP project. Located at Top Farm, adjacent the south side of Church Street, Hargrave, and centred at TL 03449 70757, the amorphous earthwork banks and hollows extend over an area of about 5,791 square metres. In 1945 and 1947, aerial photographs show that ridge and furrow cultivation blocks abutted the settlement earthworks, separated by a plough headland, ditch and earthwork bank. The remains of the L-shaped pond in the SW corner of the area was recorded on 19th century OS mapping and may be related to earlier settlement. Aerial photographs taken in 2018 show that Top Farm has now been constructed on half of the site, following the demolition of Slade Bungalow.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.48 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<2> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1974, Archaeology In Northamptonshire 1973, 106 (Article). SNN9109.

<3> 1802, Hargrave Enclosure Map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN42660.

<4> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.188 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<5> Parry, S., 1997, Slade Bungalow, Hargrave, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation, January 1997 (Report). SNN75762.

<6> Royal Air Force, RAF Vertical Aerial Photographs, RAF/CPE/UK/1925 RP 2267 16-JAN-1947 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN105265.

<7> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/106G/UK/635 RS 4104 10-AUG-1945 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<8> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, RAF/CPE/UK/1925 RP 3267 16-JAN-1947 (Photographs). SNN104890.

<9> Vertical Aerial Photograph, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery TL0370 12-JUN-2018 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<10> Bedford Borough Council HER, Undated, Bedford Borough NMP (Archive). SNN113023.

Record last edited

Jan 18 2023 2:54PM