Monument record 4221 - Little Oxendon

Remains of the medieval village of Little Oxendon. Scheduled.

{1} Little Oxendon was formerly in the parish of Little Bowden. It was also a chapelry of Little Bowden. It is not mentioned specifically in Domesday Book but there are two entries under Oxendon, one of which is likely to be Little Oxendon. One of these entries is for a manor of one hide and one virgate held by the king as part of Rothwell; no population is recorded. The other, of one hide, was held by Ulf under the Countess Judith, and had a recorded population of 11. In 1334 the village paid 32s. Tax and in 1377, 50 people over the age of 14 paid the Poll Tax. In 1405 there were still at least eight people there for these complained about the chapel which existed in the village at that time. In 1515 the manor was bought by Andrew Palmer and when he died in 1525 there was apparently only one house and 300 acres of pasture there. In the early 18th century Bridges wrote that there were ‘formerly several houses as appears from the many square building stones and burnt hearth-stones which have been dug up’. From these figures it appears that the village was deliberately cleared for sheep farming in the 14th century.

The earthworks of the village consist of a main hollow way running north east to south west along the spine of the spur, with the sites of former buildings set in rectangular closes on either side of it. At its north east end the hollow way fades out and cannot be traced much beyond the village itself. At the south west end, however, the hollow-way continues as a broad, flat, open track between blocks of ridge-and-furrow and then, as it climbs steeply up the main escarpment, becomes deep and wide again and is cut into by many later claypits. Within the village itself, the main hollow way is between 1m and 2m deep.
On the north side of the main street is a large rectangular enclosure bounded by a shallow ditch up to 1m high with an internal bank on the west and north east sides. In its interior are several shallow depressions and a large rectangular embanked feature, probably the remains of a stone building.. This enclosure may be the site of the former manor house or chapel.

Two 'excavations' have been carried out on the site. In 1863 a farmer digging for stone found 'roads covered with loose stones and also pavements consisting of stones placed close together edgeways'. He also discovered the foundations of many houses and the remains of a building of considerable size, thought to be a church or chapel. Charred wood, a stone-lined well, a spur and part of a bridle were discovered as well as a coin of Elizabeth I and another of William III {9}. Archaeological work carried out between 1926 and 1932 revealed what appears to have been a pottery kiln as well as much iron slag and pottery, then thought to 'favour a pre-Roman rather than a Romano-British' date. In Market Harborough museum is a sherd of 13th-century pottery, a spatula and spindle whorl, said to be from the site. [Roman-British date for these finds almost certainly incorrect]

{6} Little Oxendon - an inclosed lordship in Bowden parish of about 500 acres. Here is now only a single house, though there were formerly several houses, as appears from many square building stones and burnt hearth stones, which have been dug up at different times.
The chapel formerly standing in Little Oxendon seems to have been built about 1398 - the year in which a licence was granted to the inhabitants to attend worship in the said chapel, then not consecrated. It was apparently still standing in 1525 when it occurs in the will of Sir Thomas Pulteney (a). The ground on which it stood is still well known and is marked by certain hollows supposed to have been made in digging up the foundation stones.

{8} The village seems to have had a chapel, described as ‘not yet consecrated’ in 1398 and which was still standing in 1525. In 1405 the eight people in the village complained about the chapel. The clear traces of a rectangular building within a large, banked enclosure may indicate the site of the chapel. The area of the village has probably been quarried extensively since its depopulation; there are a large number of shallow pits.

{9} The site of the village of Littel Oxendon lies a few hundred yards to the west of the Market Harborough to Northampton road about a mile and a half from the former town. In a large field a main road, a shorter road running parallel with it and the marks of the foundations of many houses on either side of these, are distinctly visible. In 1863, in the course of digging for stone, the tenant farmer found the roads covered with loose stones and
also lengths of pavement consisting of stones placed close together, edgeways. In addition he discovered the foundations of many houses with much rubble scattered about but little or no squared stone, and the remains of a building of a considerable size, thought to be a church or chapel. Charred wood indicated destruction by fire.

A well, cased with stone, was excavated and a spur, a portion of a bit of a bridle, a pocket knife, a coin of Elizabeth and another of William III were found together with some tobacco-pipe heads of Charles I type.
The village is traditionally believed to have been destroyed by the Parliamentary troops after the Battle of Naseby.

{10} SP 7308 8458 Unstratified medieval pottery found in animal eroded slope in close proximity to deserted village & identified by P. Blinkhorn of Northamptonshire Archaeology; 3 sherds of late Stamford ware, Late Saxon; 6 sherds of St Neots type ware, late Saxon; 13 sherds of medieval shelly wares (12th century); 1 sherds of Oolite ware (12th century); 3 sherds of miscellanious medieval pottery; 1 sherd of possible Romano-British pottery and 1 sherd of possibly Iron Age or Early Middle Saxon pottery.

{12} Excavations "over a lengthy period" [apparently between 1926 and 1932] on the site of the hamlet of Little Oxendon have revealed part of a pottery kiln. A portion of the dome was found in 1932 and grooves in the fragments of burnt clay indicated that it had been built upon a framework of wood.
"Some of the pottery fragments favour a pre-Roman rather than a Romano-British period."
A large depression nearby "seems to have been ancient clayworkings, as many fossils and teeth found in the clay are similar to others discovered with the pottery sherds." "Several pieces of smelted iron ore have come to light, also a few iron objects similar to those illustrated in Museum Catalogues as of the late Celtic and Romano-British periods. All the iron slag was found either with the sherds or with the portion of the kiln; evidently all are of the same period. Test holes prove that the excavations have been into an ancient dump......

Not until August of this year [1932] was any attempt made to investigate the earthworks, but the little evidence discovered points to these as being of the same period as the pottery fragments before mentioned, late Celtic or Romano-British."
(Summary of a report read to Market Harborough Archaeological Society on the occasion of a visit to the site accompanied by Mr. Reginald Brown, Curator of Northampton Museum). The report is far from clear and this suggests that the conclusions should be treated with reserve.

{13} In MARKET HARBOROUGH MUSEUM there are the following objects recorded from LITTLE OXENDON. No other details are known:- A 'sherd of 13th c. cooking pot, Accn. No. 46; three small 'turning tools as used by potters', c. 1400 A.D., Accn. Nos. 51 A-C, a 'Roman' spatula, Accn. No. 32; a 'Roman' spindle-whorl, Accn. No. 13. All displayed.

{15} The late F. P. Strongman dug in many parts of the area of the DMV. It is not now possible to site the finds in MARKET HARBOROUGH MUSEUM as he kept no records. His identifications are suspect.

{16} There are clear traces of the DMV in the area indicated by the air-photographs - {14}. The remains comprise an irregular hollow-way running along the spine of a spur with croft-enclosures running from it into the stream-valleys on either side. The clear traces of a rectangular building at SP 7309 8467, within a large, banked enclosure may indicate the site of the chapel. The area is under grass; Md. Potsherds, fragments of tile, bones,
etc. were found. The area of the village has probably been quarried extensively since its depopulation; there are a large number of shallow pits. A golf-course to the north formerly extended into the area and there are some disused tees, greens and bunkers.
No evidence of a pottery-kiln or iron working on an industrial scale was seen and the finds in Market Harborough Museum indicate that the pre-war digging - {12} - revealed the normal type of finds within a DMV.
Surveyed 23.3.60. & AM's retained by AO Records.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.159 site 9 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<2> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.306, 352 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100368.

<3> Miscellaneous documents in PRO
suggest possible house platforms adjoining a broad hollow-way N of
Dingley Hall., E179/155/3 (Document). SNN46340.

<4> PRO series E179, PRO E179/155/28 (Document). SNN115882.

<5> Stocks, J.E., 1890, Parish Records of Market Harborough, 125+235 (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN39536.

<6> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.8-9 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<7> Allison K.J.; Beresford M.W.; Hurst J.G. et al, 1966, The Deserted Villages of Northamptonshire, p.44 (unchecked) (Report). SNN39628.

<8> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP78SW6 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<9> 1870, Transactions of The Leicester Archaeological Society, 2/258-60 (unchecked) (Series). SNN16523.

<10> CADMAN G.E., 1994, SMR REPORT FORM- Little Oxenden, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN50037.

<11> Annotated Record Map, Rec. 6" (W. F. Grimes, undated) (Map). SNN112961.

<12> 1931, Journal of Northants Natural History Society and Field Club, 1931-2, pp. 173-4, (F. P. Strongman) (Journal). SNN75807.

<13> Woodhouse, W C, 1960, Field Investigators Comments, F1 WCW 23-FEB-1960 (Note). SNN113151.

<14> Aerial Photograph, Air Ministry air photographs, 541/256/3386-7, dated 10.5.49 (Photographs). SNN112974.

<15> Woodhouse, W C, 1960, Field Investigators Comments, F2 WCW 16-MAR-1960 (Note). SNN113151.

<16> Woodhouse, W C, 1960, Field Investigators Comments, F3 WCW 23-MAR-1960 (Note). SNN113151.

<17> Historic England, Unknown, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Oral: MR. J. C. DAVIES, 9, Hillcrest Avenue, Market Harborough, Local historian. (Oral Report). SNN111577.

<18> Cadman, G, 1991, Market Harborough Golf Course Extension: Watching brief, 1991 (SMR Report Form). SNN114666.

<19> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), 889831 (Archive). SNN112900.

Record last edited

Feb 15 2024 11:17AM