| Summary : Fortified enclosure of possible Iron Age, early medieval or medieval date and possible site of a medieval castle or moated manor, which lies in the south east of the parish immediately north of the A45 road against the Newnham parish boundary in the valley of a small east flowing brook. The remains consist of a roughly triangular enclosure bounded on the south west by a bank 2 metres high with an external ditch 2 metres deep and a low counterscarp bank beyond. There is a causeway across the ditch near the south end which may be an original entrance. At the south corner the ditch and counterscarp bank disappear and the main bank turns north east to follow the edge of the tributary stream. The site was allegedly "quarried" or robbed out in the post medieval period, prior to enclosure of the parish in 1802. An investigation carried out in 2001 by university College Northampton suggests that there may be five basic phases: a Saxon or earlier ringwork; a late Saxon or early Norman ringwork possibly identified with a burh or "stodfald" noted in charters; a 12th century castle, a possible later medieval period of destruction and evidence for stock keeping and ridge and furrow farming on the site, then finally post medieval robbing of stone from building remains. The site is a Scheduled Monument. |
More information : SP 5855 6125: Burnt Walls [NR] (1)
The field called the Burnt Walls (circa 6 acres) adjoins the north side of the Chester turnpike road. The traditional site of a 'House or Castle of John of Gaunt' (a) but 'Brande Walles' are
mentioned as cultivated ground as early as 1253 (b) Morton (a) speaks of 'ruined walls and foundation' but extensive quarrying has destroyed any evidence there may have been. (2)
Burnt Walls - small defensive earthwork in a weak position. (3)
Burnt Walls - The trench on the west is well defined; the south side of the camp shows signs of extensive excavation.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. (4-5)
This earthwork is situated on a low ridge at the confluence of
two small streams overlooked by higher ground on all sides except the east. The main defence is a deep ditch with two flanking ramparts placed across the ridge and linking the streams, producing a roughly triangular enclosure. The slopes along the streams have been scarped and there are remains of ramparts broken by ridge and furrow ploughing on the north side and on the south side mutilated by extensive quarrying. A causeway across the western ditch probably marks the original entrance. To the east are remains of a pond bay which would have caused the streams to back up and isolate the site.
See annotated 25" survey.
A fortified enclosure of either Iron Age promotory type or medieval origin, the latter classification is strongly suggested by the straight west ditch and water engineering, the lowland
situation and good state of preservation. It has similarities
to Wesley Castle (SP 0215 8275) which was dated by excavation to 12th century and later but with traces of earlier possibly pre-conquest occupation.
The references to John of Gaunt in all probablility allude to
the adjacent moated site (SP 56 SE 8). (6)
SP 585613 : Burnt Walls camp, scheduled. (7)
UNDATED
b(35) ENCLOSURE (SP 585612; Fig. 58) known as Burnt Walls lies in the south east of the parish immediately north of the A45 road against the Newnham parish boundary in the valley of a small east flowing brook. It is set on a low ridge of Jurassic Clay at 136 metres above OD between the main stream and a small tributary stream on the south. The remains consist of a roughly triangular enclosure bounded on the south west by a bank 2 metres high with an external ditch 2 metres deep and a low counterscarp bank beyond. There is a causeway across the ditch near the south end which may be an original entrance. At the south corner the ditch and
counterscarp bank disappear and the main bank turns north east to follow the edge of the tributary stream. The bank here is between 1 metres and 2 metres high but badly mutilated especially by quarrying on the inside. A gap which does not appear to be original lies in the centre of the south east side. At the north east corner the bank is mutilated and only a low scarp above the stream now remains along the north side and north east corner. At this latter place there is a modern entrance gap. The south half of the interior has been entirely quarried away. The north half is covered by ridge and furrow.
The site has been a curiosity for centuries and no satisfactory explanation for either its date or function has been forthcoming. Morton (Nat. Hist. of Northants. (1712), 519)
recorded that 'many Loads of Stones of ruined Walls and
Foundations have been digg'd up' and this is repeated by many later writers. Baker (Hist. of Northants., I (1822-30), 339) identified it with the site of Bannaventa, but noted that as it 'had been used before the inclosure as a kind of open quarry,
further research would be fruitless'. Since that time dates ranging from the Iron Age to the medieval period have been
suggested for this earthwork (OS Record Cards; VCH Northants., II. (1906), 399; W. Edgar, Borough Hill and its History (1923) 48-9). About 1899 some depressions within the interior were examined. 'Trenches were run through several of them, but nothing was found' (Ann. Rep. Northants. Exploration Soc., (1900), 7). The site was described as early as 1255 as Les Brendewalles (PN Northants., 19) which suggests that it not only existed at that time, but that its use was already forgotten (air photographs in NMR). (8)
In 1986 the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments in England carried out surveys of the site (9-14).
In 2001 a survey was carried out by University College Northampton. The survey suggested five phases of activity at the site. Phase I, a Saxon or earlier ringwork; Phase II, a Late Saxon or Early Norman ringwork possible associated with documentary references to a burgh or "stodfald"; Phase III, a 12th century castle or moated manor house; Phase IV, later medieval destruction of buildings replaced with stock enclosure and ridge and furrow; Phase V, post medieval quarrying or robbing for stone prior to about 1802. See archived Archaeolgy File AF00202 for details. (15)
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