Monument record 600 - Canons Ashby

Deserted settlement earthworks situated in the northern part of The Orchard and in the pasture field to the north of Canons Ashby House. The settlement was first documented in Domesday Book when the population was recorded as 16; houses and plots of land were granted to the Augustinian Priory when it was founded in the mid 12th century, and by the mid 13th century it was known as Canons Ashby. The settlement grew during the 14th century but contracted in the later 15th century when the prior enclosed the land for sheep-pasture. The population diminished further in the 16th and 17th centuries and by the early 18th century there remained about five dwellings. The earliest part of the village is believed to be represented by the earthwork remains of plot boundaries which lie to the north side of the Adstone Road. The plots take the form of a series of small, roughly rectangular enclosures defined by banks and ditches; each plot would have contained a house and garden or yard. Further plots are evident to the north west and are believed to be associated with the expansion of the settlement in the 14th century. Running behind the plot boundaries to the east are the earthwork remains of a hollow way, representing a back lane (see separate record) The earthworks were surveyed by RCHME field staff in 1992 and have been scheduled as an ancient monument.

{6} There is a possible trace of a structure on the north face of the church tower.

{8} The village was first mentioned in Domesday with a recorded population of 16. In about 1150 the Augustinian Priory was founded: it apparently lay at the south end of the village but it later acquired most of the parish. In 1301, 18 taxpayers paid the Lay Subsidy and the village is mentioned in the 1316 Nomina Villarum. There were 41 houses in 1343 and in 1377 82 people over the age of 14 paid the Poll Tax. However, in 1489 the prior of Canons Ashby enclosed 100 acres of land, converting it to pasture and destroying three houses at the same time, and in 1492 he evicted 24 people. By 1524 only 21 taxpayers were listed and by 1535 only 9 tenants paid rent to the priory. The Hearth Tax Returns of 1674 list 5 people paying tax and in 1720 there were three farm houses and 2 or 3 lodges. By 1801 the population of the parish was 40.

{9} The vicarage stood to the north of the church until the early C18th although it was only occupied by a shepherd.

{10} Brass rubbing of Sir John Dryden 1587.

{14} (SP 577507). In December 1992, RCHMEs Cambridge Office carried out an analytical earthwork survey of elements of the deserted village at Canons Ashby, and a field observation on the other remains, following a request from the National Trust. The principal area studied was the field now known as `The Orchard' (SP 55 SE/25). The other surviving DMV earthworks comprise a linear settlement of numerous domestic enclosures (crofts), some with associated house platforms
(tofts), all ranged along a system of medieval hollow-ways. The village is surrounded by ridge-and-furrow cultivation. The plan of the medieval village, which was largely deserted following enclosure for sheep in the sixteenth century, can be reconstructed from the earthwork remains (9a). The village was arranged around a crossroads with most of the surviving remains lying in the northeastern quarter, between the Preston Capes and Adstone roads. The southern arm leads to the church and priory (SP 55 SE/13). The south-western arm followed a route now partly under Canon's Ashby House (SP 55 SE/18) but visible as a hollow way to the west of the formal gardens.

A row of crofts is laid out along the east side of the Preston Capes road with a back lane identifiable as a hollow way. A second row of crofts survives along the north side of the Adstone road with a
similar back land surviving as a hollow way.

At some point the village may have expanded over the former open fields at the northern end of the sites, suggested by crofts apparently overlying very degraded ridge-and-furrow. This expansion is enclosed by a bank and ditch and, perhaps fortuitously, resembles the Canons' Walk in both size and shape (SP 55 SE/13). However, it is unclear whether the northern enclosure is contemporary with or later than the village remains.

The crofts were rectangular in plan and aligned at right angles to the hollow ways and were divided by low banks. The crofts range in size from 35m by 25m to 60m by 22m, the largest properties fronting
the Preston Capes road. The actual tofts are seldom evident, one of the surviving examples measures 20m by 12m or 25% of the area of its croft.

The surviving earthworks seem scarcely sufficient to account for the 41 houses listed in 1343 (9b), it is possible that some crofts have been destroyed or are no longer recognisable as earthworks.
Documentary evidence suggests that Canons Ashby House may stand on the site of a medieval farm (9a) and there may have been further dwellings on the west side of the Preston Capes road. Beyond the village cluster in the area of the later parkland no medieval earthworks now survive except for ridge-and-furrow.

The village was completely surrounded by arable arranged into three large fields, the North, West and East Fields. Ridge-and-furrow is still well defined to the east of the village and in the western part of the park where it extends down to the fishponds (SP 55 SE/15). Cultivation may have extended eastward to the Preston Capes road before landscaping for the part obliterated the ridges. Aerial photographs show traces of ridge-and-furrow around Park Cottage (SP 57555075) which were too faint to be recorded on the ground. In the fields east of the Orchard (SP 55 SE/25) and Canon's Walk no trace of ridge-and-furrow is visible on aerial photographs. Ridge-and furrow recorded by the RCHME in 1981 in the paddock west of the church is now buried beneath the National Trust car park.

For further details, see RCHME Level 3 client report and plans at 1:1000 and 1:2500 scales, held in archive.

{17} Ashby is first recorded in 1086 when Hugh held 2.5 hides there from Walter the Fleming. At that time there was only one plough in demesne, with four slaves, nine villagers and three small-holders with three ploughs.
The evidence from the earthworks suggests a double-row village lining a road from the putative castle running south to the church, with the tenements at the north end, and along the Adstone Road, representing later expansion. Although the earthworks of the tenements only survive on the east side of the Preston Road, on the western side further tenements have probably been masked by post medieval landscaping, for in the earlier C16th the documentary evidence suggests that at least one farm stood on this side of the road, beneath the present Hall. Moreover, it seems extremely unlikely that the 44 properties recorded in 1344-5 could be accommodated within the area of surviving earthworks. It is possible that the road did not originally run out of the village at its present position on the north side, for the earthworks show an awkward step in the road alignments, while the modern road cuts the ridge and furrow. To the south the Adstone Road may during the medieval period have formed a crossroad, running through or adjacent to the present Hall garden to join the hollow way which runs westward towards Eydon. If so, it was probably diverted in the C16th or C17th as part of the laying out of the Hall and its gardens, for during the medieval period and probably during the life of the Cope Mansion, it is highly unlikely that a main road would have passed through the monastic precinct as it does today.
Because the foundation grant for the Priory included the pre-existing parish church it is likely that the priory was laid out over a small part of the existing village.
The process of enclosure of arable land and conversion to pasture may have been underway by the mid C13th, if not before, as in 1253 the Lord of the Manor released to the Prior his claim to common pasture in the furlong between their toft and the furlong called Aylsbreth. In addition it should be noted that a sheepcote is referred to in the 1329 inventory of the priory. However no major impact seems to have been made until much later for the 1301 Poll Tax indicates a sizeable village which in 1344-5 included a porter, two saucers and two tailors. By 1455-6 however it had shrunk from 44 properties to 22. This decline marks a major shift towards a pastoral economy and the process of enclosure and population decline was still continuing in the later C15th when in 1489 three houses were destroyed and in 1492 24 people were evicted as a result of enclosure. That the enclosure was for sheep farming is obvious, and is confirmed by the 1573 reference to a Woolhouse Parcel, formerly of the Priory. Also, in 1547 Sir John Cope had 2,000 sheep in the parish. By 1536 only five messuages and three cottages survived, and although the three open fields also survived they comprised less than 700 acres, of which half was in demesne.
1801 40 PEOPLE(12); MOST OF TOWNSHIP ACQUIRED BY PRIORY(1);1489 PRIOR ENCLOSEDLAND;HISTORICAL SUMMARY WITH REFS.(15); DETAILED DISCUSSION(15);{12}DETAILED DISCUSSION (12);

For further details, see RCHME Level 3 client report and plan at 1:2500 scale, held in archive.

{19} The village has almost completely disappeared but its area is clearly outlined by ridge and furrow.

{20} Details of tiles found at Canons Ashby;

{21} (SP 575506) Canons Ashby. (SP 575507) Deer Park.

{22} On Aps {23} the area of the village is clearly outlined by rig and furrow. At SP 57505091 is a large flat-topped mound, possibly a barrow or a motte (SP 55 SE/14). At SP57955040 is a circular mark (the horse mill?) {4, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28}. Other associated features are a string of large fish ponds to the W, a mill mound at SP 56935033 and the site of the village which was probably NW of the house, although no
surveyable features now remain. The site of the horse mill could not be substantiated. See photo's and annotated 25" surveys.

{23} The following sites were previously recorded together with the village as SP 55 SE/1 and have now been recorded under individual site records: Canons Ashby Priory (SP 55 SE/13), the supposed motte (SP 55 SE/14), fishponds (SP 55 SE/15), a windmill mound (SP 55 SE/17) and Canons Ashby Hall (SP 55 SE/18). [Refers to old NMR numbering- see status_codes]

{24} The Augustinian Priory at Canons Ashby (SP 55 SE/13), dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, was founded 1147-51, probably for 13 canons, and was dissolved in 1536 (2). A church and surrounding land, houses crofts, a fishpond and a horse-mill were given at the founding.

<1> PRO series E179, E179/155/27- (Document). SNN115882.

<2> PRO series E179, E179/155/31 (Document). SNN115882.

<3> PRO series E179, E179/155/122 (unchecked) (Document). SNN115882.

<4> PRO series E179, E179/254/14 (unchecked) (Document). SNN115882.

<5> Thorn F.; Thorn C., 1979, Domesday Book: A Survey of The Counties of England, (unchecked) (Series). SNN1170.

<6> FOARD G.R., 1984, ORAL REPORT TO SMR, (unchecked) (Oral Report). SNN50948.

<7> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, (RAF CPE/UK/1994 4096-7) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<8> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.35 (Series). SNN77381.

<9> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.223 (unchecked) (Book). SNN100366.

<10> Brass Rubbings at Ashmolean Museum, (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41806.

<11> 1316, Nomina Villarum, (unchecked) (Document). SNN8783.

<12> Beresford M.W., 1954, The Lost Villages of England, p.366 (unchecked) (Extract). SNN7102.

<13> Allison K.J.; Beresford M.W.; Hurst J.G. et al, 1966, The Deserted Villages of Northamptonshire, p.35 (unchecked) (Report). SNN39628.

<14> National Trust, 1992, Archaeological Survey: Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Report). SNN47558.

<15> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, pp.341, 372 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100368.

<16> JACKSON-STOPS G., 1984, Canons Ashby (Northamptonshire), (unchecked) (Guide). SNN70500.

<17> FOARD G.R., 1982, Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire: An Archaeological Report, 1982, p.1-3 (checked) (Typescript Report). SNN45382.

<18> Giggins B., 1991, Canons Ashby Survey, (unchecked) (Report). SNN108748.

<19> Steane J., 1974, The Northamptonshire Landscape, p.121 (checked) (Book). SNN5137.

<20> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/54/1,2 (Archive). SNN115.

<21> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), Ordnance Survey 6" 1955 (Map). SNN112944.

<22> Seaman, B H, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments (Notes). SNN111541.

<23> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, (RAF CPE/UK/1926 1056-7 16-JAN-47) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<24> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire (Book). SNN77328.

<25> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), 832829/889558 (Archive). SNN112900.

<26> Historic England, Undated, Canons Ashby (Photographs and illustrations) (Archive). SNN116403.

<27> Knowles; Hadcock, 1971, Medieval Religious Houses England and Wales, p. 132 (Book). SNN10192.

<28> Bailey, B, Pevsner, N, and Cherry, B, 2013, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 151-158 (Book). SNN111989.

Record last edited

Jan 31 2025 2:32PM