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Summary - not yet available

Monument Type(s):

• POND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• LYNCHET (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• RIDGE AND FURROW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• HOLLOW WAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• HOUSE PLATFORM (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• CHURCHYARD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

1. The Alconburys consist of the two villages of Alconbury and Alconbury Weston; Alconbury (TL/185-/769-), the larger of the two extending over 3,797 acres, lies approximately 4miles NW of Huntingdon; Alconbury Weston (TL/175-/770-), extending over 1,735 acres lies to the N of Alconbury, less than one mile away. The villages lie on Jurassic clay soil and are linked by Alconbury Brook a tributary of the River Ouse. Prior to this survey other remains of note related to the extent of the ancient Medieval settlement and the late C16 manor house(TL/186-/760-, RN 00804), situated at the junction of "The Maltings", Chapel Street and School Lane, the C15 bridge spanning Alconbury Brook (TL/186-/758- RN 00796) and also the C12 to C13 church of St Peter and Paul (TL/184-/761- RN 04550).The first area studied was the field approximately 50 m SW of the parish church, field 282 at TL/183-/760-; the field was bounded on the NE by the churchyard and vicarage sites, and on the remaining three sides by the meandering Alconbury Brook, and also the ditch draining Manor Farm; the gradient of this field was not particularly distinct; several features were visible within this area. What appeared to be a hollow way extended from the NE boundary of the field for approximately 50 m and ended at a supposed rampart which transversed the field in a NW - SE direction; the earthwork was bounded by Alconbury Brook to the NW and by a raised public footpath to the SE; this footpath was thought to be situated on the SE portion of the "rampart"; the "enclosure" was bounded on the SW by a further "rampart", running parallel with the Alconbury Brook; however, on studying these earthworks more thoroughly, it was clear, indeed, we did not have an enclosure at all; the second longitudinal "rampart" in the SW corner of the field was seen to decrease in gradient towards the Brook, rather than inwards towards the "enclosure"; the step structure measured approximately 30 cm, and the interval of land between the two measured approximately100m; therefore, it was postulated that these two changes in gradient were indeed strip lynchets, and that the "hollow way" was merely an access ramp for the plough. On the terrace between the two lynchets a rectangular depression was visible; as this depression was somewhat irregular in its outline, it was considered to have been formed as a result of quarrying, rather than to have been a pond; irregular mounds were seen on its border, - these were probably the remains of spoil heaps. Between the second lynchet and Alconbury Brook a slight indication of ridge and furrow was visible, - trending in a NE - SW direction at a low profile. With reference to the raised footpath noted earlier, it was thought that the "rampart" upon which the path was situated, was not related to the terraces and lynchets; it may, in fact, have been modern, lifting the path clear of the field, which was obviously prone to flooding, another reason why lynchets may have been created in this area. In the field to the N (285, bounded by Polecat Lane to the N and Alconbury Brook to the S) no earthworks were visible as the field had undergone ploughing; traces of ridge and furrow however were visible in the NE area, trending in a NE - SW direction; a local inhabitant informed us that earthworks had once been visible in this field before the ploughing took place; it was also interesting to note that even up to recent times this field was part of the Glebe land and owned by the Church, as was the area to the E (field 306),now a garden; earthworks were visible in the NW corner of the garden, though it was considered that the "hollow way" structure was part of the old course of the stream draining into Alconbury Brook. On the W side of Alconbury, crossing the North Road, no evidence of earthworks were visible, as all the large fields (182, 290, 296 and297) had undergone ploughing; no evidence of ridge and furrow was visible either. Earthworks were visible in fields 1283 and 279, S of the church atTL/184-/757-, though they were rather irregular and ill defined; possible house platforms were situated in 279, W of the pond, and a second pond was present in the NE corner of 183, as a shallow depression. The only other notable site in Alconbury itself was field 309, atTL/184-/761-, to the rear of the Village Hall and Doctor's Surgery; ridge and furrow was clearly visible to the N of the field, trending in a NW - SE manner; they became somewhat less distinct towards the S; in the immediate SE of this field, adjacent to 308, a possible house platform was seen, approximately 10m square; however, its overall shape was obliterated by the erection of the modern barn on the S edge of the field; no other earthworks were visible in this area. Ridge and furrow was clearly visible in field 314, trending in a NE- SW direction and running parallel with the field boundaries. Other areas visible in the village showed no evidence of earthworks or ridge and furrow whatsoever, as the fields had undergone extensive ploughing, or were playing fields, landscaped areas, or scrub sites destroyed by building contractors. Alconbury Weston was then surveyed; the village was reached from Alconbury by taking the footpath known as "Church Way",(TL/183-/762-) extending for approximately 750 m, and on the whole running parallel with Alconbury Brook; as Alconbury Weston does not have a church, it seems as if this "Church Way" may indeed be the remains of the ancient track linking the two villages; on either side of this trackway, the fields had undergone extensive ploughing, though good ridge and furrow was markedly visible in field 131 and also in the N half of field 316 (the boundary fence having been removed) in the area known as "Cade's Hill" (TL/184-/767-);however, the ridge and furrow in this field was visible in the dark and light bands of soil, rather than in the undulations of a grassy field; the ridge and furrow in field 131, was seen to curve around to the NW and halted at the field boundary. On reaching the junction of fields 131 and 132, at TL/181-/765-,certain undulations were distinctly visible in fields 175 and 298,although both areas had undergone ploughing; the fields were seen to slope very gently from their boundary with North Road to the Alconbury Brook; they were also seen to exhibit a certain amount of terracing, though certainly much less distinct than that described earlier in field 282; the terraces ran parallel with the North Road and extended from field 175 into 298; as the field had obviously undergone extensive ploughing, it was thought that the steady decrease in gradient towards the brook marked by the terraces, may indeed have been the remains of a lynchet strip system, protecting the Medieval fields from flooding; the Alconbury Brook today is certainly noted for its flooding, observed by the number of flood scale indicators on the bank, and also by the presence of extensive meanders throughout the course of the Brook in this particular area. However, as was stated above the gradient of the fields is extremely low, therefore the fluctuations in level may indicate the presence of ancient headlands rather than strip lynchets; though, as the land has undergone extensive ploughing, their true relationship is greatly diminished; No signs of lynchets were visible on the N banks of Alconbury Brook, though the gradient of the land is much greater than on the S side, reaching 50 ft at "Vinegar Hill", (TL/182-/772-); ridge and furrow was distinct in field 172, running at right angles to the neighbouring "lynchet/headland" fields; In surveying the village of Alconbury Weston itself, no earthworks as such, were observed, though there was much evidence of ridge and furrow; ridge and furrow was seen to run in an E - W direction infield 129 and ran N - S in field 128; this ridge and furrow was seen to continue N onto "Vinegar Hill", into field 86, as light and dark bandings within the soil, corresponding to the ridge and furrow in the immediate S; ridge and furrow was also visible in the fields to the N of the Hamerton Road, running N - S in fields 90 and 124,and E - W in field 121.On taking the pathway, which left the High Street at approximatelyTL/176-/770-, further ridge and furrow was visible in fields 149 and167; vague earthworks were seen in the N portion of field 149.though they were very irregular and indistinct; they may have been the remains of quarrying. An ancient field boundary was distinguished at the S of field 149,as a small channel, - this may have linked in the past with the boundary trending NW - SE, linking fields 149, 155, 167 and 165);the field boundary between fields 156 and 157 was no longer present; no further earthworks were visible in the fields on either side of the North Road, on the return walk back to Alconbury. An orchard was noted in field 179 below the junction with the Buckworth Road; an interesting find was at TL/177-/765-, the small graveyard of Alconbury Weston almost a mile away from the parish church; Both Alconbury and Alconbury Weston had village greens at TL/186-/756- and TL/178-/767- respectively; these were relatively undisturbed patches of grassland neighbouring Alconbury Brook. (See plan in Parish File, Medieval village survey).
2. Sketched on to overlay from plan in Parish File.

<1> Etchells-Butler, S., March 1979, Notes describing the survey carried out on the Medieval villages of Alconbury and Alconbury Weston in the County of Cambridgeshire (Unpublished document). SCB16003.

Sources and further reading

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