Monument record 634 - John of Gaunt's Castle

Site of a supposed medieval castle or hunting lodge. Now mostly destroyed. Stone foundations of probable medieval date had been exposed during quarrying in the 19th century and and part of the moat plus another enclosure possibly connected with the site survive as slight earthworks. Only the south side of the moat survives, and is used as a dump for old cars. The quarried area to the north is mostly filled in and levelled. Trial trenching in 1983 suggested that the most of the site had been desttroyed by the quarry.

{1} Only the south side of the moat survives, and is used as a dump for old cars. The quarried area to the north is mostly filled in and levelled.

{2} John of Gaunt's Castle lay in the south-east corner of the parish within the medieval deer park. It was probably a medieval moated hunting lodge, but little is known of its history. The north part of the site, including all but the south side of the moat, was worked for clay for a brickyard from at least 1857 until 1904 and during this time massive foundation walls were exposed and then destroyed.

{3} In 1816 the grubbing up of Daventry Wood revealed a double-ditched moat which enclosed the foundations of a rectangular stone building 40yds long.

{4} Possible medieval find; a stone mortar or creeing trough of the C14th/15th AD found c.1883; finds possibly now lost.

{6} Earthworks of the fortified manor or hunting lodge….in the wood next to Burnt Walls and close to the turnpike are military works called John of Gaunts Castle.

{7} Tile and brick found was probably medieval in date.

{8} Documentary sources; a "mansion house taken out of the park" is mentioned in 1284.

{9} A substantial building, with stone walls and a tower surrounded by a moat, known in later centuries as John O’ Gaunt's Castle, formerly stood within the park, near its north side. In 1284 the prior had agreed that when the lord of Daventry and his wife were present ‘in the mansion house taken by the lord out of his park at Daventry, then they might have mass and all other religious offices celebrated in a chapel within the said mansion house’. This suggests that the manor house was relocated in the C13th by one of the Fitz Walters.

{12} ….in the 9th of Edward II Walter Fitz-Robert was certified to be Lord of Daventre….he held this manor of Robert Fitz-Walter….in the 56th of Henry III he obtained grant of free warren for himself and his heirs in Daventre and Drayton… by marriage the manor passed to John of Gaunt, Earl of Richmond and the fourth son of Edward III....from this time forward the Lordship of Daventre was annexed to the dutchy of Lancaster....

{15} Trial trenching was undertaken in 1983 to confirm the level of survival of remains. As a result of this trial trenching it must be assumed that the remains of a medieval structure observed during the 19th century had been totally destroyed by the quarrying. It may be possible that the foundations of a tower, observed by Edgar, do still survive somewhere in the south-east of the area. A small trench, however, only found disturbed ground here. The very small areas of surviving medieval stratigraphy which may survive on the periphery of the quarried area would reveal very little of the former arrangements of the site during the medieval period.

{16} Plan of earthwork survey.

{18} There is evidence that he owned property in the parish and possibly in Daventry Wood. During digging for brick-clay the whole building was traced. It was square and occupied c.0.33 acres. The outer walls were 4-5ft thick and the three cross-walls were 2-3ft thick. A drawbridge entrance was located on the south-east side. On the south-west was a round tower 26ft in diameter, detached and 2ft from the main building. To the east a corresponding tower some 40yds distant was revealed. A boundary wall was uncovered near the highway.

{20} The central defended area appears to have been totally quarried and backfilled. The earthworks in the wood are in good condition but there is much undergrowth and rubbish dumped here.

{23} SP 583 613: The site of John of Gaunt's Castle is now completely obliterated by dumps of road material.

{24} Morton speaks of ruined walls and foundations but extensive quarrying has destroyed any evidence there may have been. A field called The Burnt Walls (of 6 acres) adjoins the north side of the Chester turnpike. It is traditionally the site of a house/castle of John of Gaunt. Known as Brende Walles. The ground here was cultivated as early as 1253. [References to John of Gaunts castle probably allude to the adjacent moated site, not Burnt Walls.]

{25} Resurveyed at 1:2500.

{26} Resurveyed at 1:1250. Plans and a detailed descriptive text are deposited in the NMR archive.

{32} Magnetometry and earth resistance surveys immediately south of London Road found likely evidence of the 19th-century quarrying and no remains of anything earlier.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP56SE8 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<1a> Colquhoun, FD, 1969, Field investigators comments, F2 BHS 09-JAN-69 (Notes). SNN112950.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.69/Site 32 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77381.

<3> Baker G., 1822-36, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p. 311 & 339 (Book). SNN10400.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP56SE9 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<5> 1921, Northamptonshire Notes and Queries (Series 1), (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN15272.

<6> Brayley E.W., 1809, The Beauties of England and Wales, p.3+57 (unchecked) (Book). SNN15257.

<7> BROWN A.E., HISTORY OF DAVENTRY, (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN47565.

<8> COTT. MSS CLAUD D. 12 FO.10, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN47566.

<9> Ballinger J.; Foard G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Daventry (Medieval/Post Medieval/ Industrial), Section 3.1.2.8 John O'Gaunt's Castle (Digital archive). SNN100501.

<10> 1955, OS 6 INCH MAP, (unchecked) (Map). SNN60149.

<11> Lanning K.; Pearson V.; Walker D., 1995, Castles in Northamptonshire: A Resource Pack for Teachers, (unchecked) (Educational Resource Pack). SNN75536.

<12> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.41 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<13> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.195-6 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100368.

<14> Serjeantson R.M.; Ryland W. (Editors), 1906, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.399 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100369.

<15> HANNAN A., 1983, John O'Gaunt Hotel, Castle Site, Daventry (Report). SNN40491.

<16> BROWN A.E., 1991, Early Daventry (An Essay In Early Landscape Planning), (unchecked) (Book). SNN57948.

<17> Ordnance Survey, 1955, OS 6 Inch Mapping Series, (unchecked) (Map). SNN15253.

<18> Edgar W., 1923, Borough Hill & Its History, p.49-50 (unchecked) (Book). SNN47010.

<19> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1973, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1972, p.26 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN8956.

<20> FOARD G., 1980, Oral Report to SMR, (checked) (Oral Report). SNN50412.

<21> 1977, Correspondence, (checked) (Correspondence). SNN57270.

<22> Supplementary File, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN51727.

<23> Smith, D., 1969, Fieldwork and Observation in South and Central Northamptonshire, p.1 (unchecked) (Article). SNN8978.

<24> Morton J., 1712, The Natural History of Northamptonshire, p.519 (unchecked) (Book). SNN10113.

<25> Phillips, AS, 1962, Field Investigators Comments, F1 ASP 28-MAY-62 (Note). SNN112960.

<26> Wilson-North, R, 1987, Field Investigator's Comments, F3 WRWN 01-NOV-1987 (Notes). SNN113047.

<27> RCHME, Undated, RCHME: OS Revision Daventry, SP 56 SE, Northamptonshire, AF0622109 (Archive). SNN113051.

<28> Historic England, Undated, John O'Gaunt's Castle, 975192 (Archive). SNN113050.

<29> Historic England, Undated, John O'Gaunt's Castle/pencil survey, 762283 (Archive). SNN113049.

<30> Historic England, Undated, John O'Gaunt's Castle/ink survey, 762282 (Archive). SNN113048.

<31> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), AF0615738 (Archive). SNN112900.

<32> Walford, J, 2021, Archaeological geophysical survey on the site of 'John O'Gaunt's Castle', Daventry, Northamptonshire, October 2021, https://doi.org/10.5284/1116350 (Report). SNN114214.

<33> Crank, N. (Editor), 2022, South Midlands Archaeology (52), p. 61 (Journal). SNN115177.

Record last edited

Jan 31 2025 2:56PM