Irregular substantial moated manorial site, much disturbed by railway, roads & new drainage
The remains of a complex of earthworks, damaged by railway, road and sewer pipe construction. The remains cosist of a raised area to the south, with curving banks to the north and east. The raised area has been affected by the diversion of the Pix Brook through it and is now flat. It was irregular in shape, measuring approx 60m by 40m and approx 0.8m high, and surrounded by a dry moat-like feature with a causeway at the north east side. It has been interpreted as a harbour but it may have been the remains of a homestead moat. Removal of topsoil on the raised area uncovered a brick-lined well of unknown date.
The curving banks were sectioned by the sewage trench dug in 1972. Observations at the time showed that they were of gravel with a thick timber-laced clay core. Timber traces in the upper gravel layers suggest the presence of a palisade. The banks are bounded on the north and north east by ditches, the southern one being shown by the work in 1972 to be 1m deep. Only the eastern ends of the banks were still extant by 1987.
On a ridge to the east of the banks are traces of a further earthwork, possibly manorial; it is rectangular, measuring approx 300m by 200m and bounded by the Pix Brook on the south and west. Most of it has now been ploughed out.
Observations in 1972, and in 1986 when the Pix Brook was diverted, have resulted in finds of medieval pottery (mostly 12th-13th century) and animal bones. Metal objects thought to be Roman have been dated as much later but their functions are not known. Roman pottery has been found on the site, however, and also late Iron Age pottery and a small number of flint implements.
The area of an associated deserted medieval settlement has been ploughed flat and is no longer visible on the ground.
The site has been interpreted as a harbour and defences connected with the Danelaw frontier, but there is no proof for this. It is most likely to be a manorial site, but possibly reusing earlier earthworks. A document of 1566 refers to "Etonsbury wherein sometyme was the scyte of the Mannor utterly decayed".
| --- | SBD10507 - Photograph: BCC Photographic Unit. F076/12-13 |
| --- | SBD10508 - Slide: HER Slide Archive. 3740 |
| --- | SBD10509 - Unpublished document: A Simco. A Simco. Annotated map, Feb 1979 |
| --- | SBD10543 - Bibliographic reference: Bedfordshire Magazine. Vol 8, 1961-1963, p 239 |
| --- | SBD10551 - Unpublished document: Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents. BLARS: HF 20/242/1, plan, 1882 |
| --- | SBD10569 - Bibliographic reference: Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal. Vol 8, 1973, p 138 |
| --- | SBD10573 - Cartographic materials: 1870s-1880s. Ordnance Survey 6" Map, 1st Edition. |
| --- | SBD10574 - Article in serial: 1908. Victoria County History, Bedfordshire. Vol 1, pp 278-280 |
| --- | SBD10650 - Bibliographic reference: A Simco. 1984. Survey of Bedfordshire: Roman Period. p 87 |
| --- | SBD10706 - Bibliographic reference: Wadmore. 1920. Earthworks of Bedfordshire. pp 57-59 |
| --- | SBD10771 - Cartographic materials: 1927. OS 6" (1927). |
| --- | SBD10783 - Unpublished document: 1937. Bedfordshire Regional Planning Authority Report. p 186 |
| --- | SBD10785 - Article in serial: Archaeological Journal. Vol 39, 1882, p 290 (p 36 in reprint) |
| --- | SBD10790 - Verbal communication: A Simco. A Simco. D C King's finds, seen 8/2/1984 |
| --- | SBD10794 - Unpublished document: Bedford Archaeological Society. List of moated sites, Dec 1972 |
| --- | SBD10802 - Unpublished document: Correspondence. Letters from D C King, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1983 |
| --- | SBD10807 - Unpublished document: Bedford Museum. Notes on finds, Jan 1973 |
| --- | SBD10822 - Unpublished document: Cambridge University Museum Accession Register. Ransom Collection: 1923.428; 1923.528; 1923.532 |
| --- | SBD10833 - Unpublished document: D Baker. Notes. Notes and Photos, Oct 1972 |
| --- | SBD10860 - Bibliographic reference: M Beresford, J G Hurst. 1972. Deserted Medieval Villages. p 183 |
| --- | SBD11030 - Bibliographic reference: Fowler (ed). 1972. Archaeology and the Landscape. pp 222-236 (Dyer) |
| --- | SBD11053 - Unpublished document: OS: TL 13. TL 13 NE 8 |