The Old Mountains
This is a listed scheduled ancient monument and was
probably either a park keepers lodge or a summer or guest house for Astwell Manor, and was built in between 1250 and 1350. It was first listed in 1492 as a seperate manor : Billinges Manor
The moat was more to denote the status of the occupants than for any defensive reasons .The moated area is now covered in trees and there has always been something eery about the place. On many visits by local people no birds have been heard singing in the area... very strange as it is surrounded by open country.
There is clearly identifiable a large fish pond in the fields south of this, formed by daming a stream very close to spring which is one of the sources of the Great Ouse
Associated with this are man made rabbit warrens formed as large mounds. Fish and rabbits were very important additions to the diet at the time this was built.
The old ridge and furrow pattern of field management can still be seen from the air in the fields surrounding the area
It is very much worth the effort of a walk to go and see it
See the map and photos HERE
SCHEDULE ENTRY COPY
ENTRY IN THE SCHEDULE OF MONUMENTS COMPILED AND MAINTAINED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE UNDER SECTION 1 OF THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREAS ACT 1979 AS AMENDED.
MONUMENT: Old Mountains moat, fishpond and warren PARISH: HELMDON COUNTY: NORTHAMPTONSHIRE DISTRICT: SOUTH NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 13654 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SP61474295
DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT
Old Mountains lies in a broad valley to the south-west of Astwell Park Farm, just north of Crowfield. The monument consists of a moated site with a large associated fishpond, and the nearby remains of a small warren. The moated site covers an area approximately 110m x 100m. The moat island is sub-rectangular and stands up to 1m above the surrounding land with a slight inner bank about 0.5m high on its north, south and east sides. A triangular area of the island on the west has been separated from the main moat island at a later date by an oblique ditch. Within the moat island, on its west side, two rectangular depressions indicate the locations of small ponds.
The island is surrounded by a partially waterlogged moat ditch between 1.5m and 2m deep on the north, east and west sides. The southern ditch has been infilled leaving a series of depressions and a small mound. The moat lies near to the western edge of a deer park and is thought likely to be the location of the park keeper' s lodge. Just to the south of the moat are the earthwork remains of a massive fishpond and dam. The dam lies on the southern side of the site and spans the valley of a stream. On the eastern side of the stream the dam stands as a bank up to 3m high, but on the western side the dam has been ploughed and survives as a bank 1.5m high. It is thought that the pond originally covered the whole of this field which on early maps is known as Pool Meadow. On the north-east side of the dam lies a waterlogged ditch approximately 200m long which is thought to be the remains of a water channel from the pond, and a low bank which lies between this ditch and the moated site is also considered to be part of the earthworks of the water management system. On the north-west side of the field containing the large fishpond is a warren consisting of two pillow mounds. One mound 15m long lies from north to south and the second mound 55m long lies east to west; both mounds are between 1.5m and 2m high.
ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE
Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches, often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites served as prestigious aristocratic and seigniorial residences with the provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical military defence.
The peak period during which moated sites were built was between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.
Old Mountains monument at Astwell has an unusually well preserved and built-up island which retains considerable archaeological potential for the recovery of evidence of building foundations and the pre-medieval ground surface in the interior. The moated site is also associated with a fishpond and several pillow mounds, both typical components, illustrating the various methods of food production in the local medieval food economy.
SCHEDULING HISTORY
Monument's inclusion in the Schedule was confirmed on 9th October 1981. Monument included as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Northamptonshire 135 NAME: Old Mountains, moated site, Astwell
The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 13654 NAME: Old Mountains moat, fishpond and warrenIsCHEDULING REVISED ON 09th December 1992
See the map and photos HERE
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