Reasons for Designation
Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late
Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended
area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a
substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a
stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the
bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military
operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements.
They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60
with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted
range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular
significance to our understanding of the period.
Details
The Castle ringwork at Long Buckby, known locally as The Mounts, lies in the
centre of the village.
The ringwork consists of a roughly oval bank 4m high which surrounds a central
area 23m x 15m. The interior of the ringwork is raised slightly above the
surrounding land surface and on the west side of the ringwork the bank is
lower indicating the original entrance to the interior. The ringwork is
surrounded by a ditch up to 2m deep in places, although this has been
partially filled in on the east side. To the west of the ringwork lies the
remains of a peripheral sub-rectangular bailey which originally extended as
far as the east side of Harbidges Lane. The north western part of this bailey
was destroyed in 1955 when houses were built on the site. To the east of the
ringwork is located a second peripheral sub-rectangular bailey, the extent of
which is marked by the remains of a shallow ditch and slight bank indicating
the outer rampart of the bailey. Along the south side of the monument are the
remains of a hollow-way which runs for the whole length of the site.
In the 18th century substantial foundation walls were recorded at this site.
In 1955 a small excavation in the north west corner of the site, carried out
prior to house building, revealed that the bailey had been enclosed by a wall,
and that this had been superseded by a bank and deep external ditch. A
building of 12th century date was also discovered with a curtain wall. The
ringwork and bailey is believed to have been built by the de Quincy family in
the 12th century. The family were created Earls of Winchester and held the
main manor of Long Buckby from the time of Henry II until 1264.
All buildings and outbuildings on the site are excluded from the scheduling
but the ground beneath is included, with the exception of the area of the
house at number 19 Harbidges Lane, which is totally excluded from the
scheduling.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13666
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
