Summary

The earthwork and buried remains of the medieval village of Steane.

Source: Historic England

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS
The site includes the earthworks and buried archaeological remains of the former medieval settlement of Steane located to the south-west of Steane Park House and stables (both listed at Grade II) and the Chapel of St Peter (listed at Grade I), on land historically known as Knoll Field within Steane Park, and centred at SP55203892.

DESCRIPTION
The earthworks of a rectangular arrangement of enclosures, crofts (gardens), tofts (houses) and hollow ways survive to between 0.5m and 1.00m in height. Two probable hollow ways are apparent. A north-south hollow way, immediately west of the post and rail fence which demarcates the eastern extent of the village earthworks, meets an approximately east-west aligned hollow way towards the southern end of the site. The latter survives particularly well and has to its north three rectangular enclosures formed by banks and ditches and covering a level area of approximately 80m x 200m. The enclosure to the north of the east-west hollow way contains four possible tofts evident as level areas defined by banks or scarps; a small post-medieval quarry has removed part of the west bank of the enclosure. To the north two enclosures of approximately the same size contain crofts, all defined by banks. There is a low mound near to the north-east corner. To the east of the enclosures is a possible hollow way, although the HER considers that the earthworks in this part of the site, close to the small valley of a watercourse, may represent field terraces. The RCHME survey records ridge and furrow preserved in parkland to the east of the earthworks, but this no longer survives.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING
The monument is defined by a post and wire fence to the east, to the north by the drive to Steane Park House, the Chapel and associated buildings and to the west by a wall which runs along the side of the roadway to the estate which leads from the main A422 road. To the south a wall and fence marks the boundary between the scheduled monument and an access road to a separate property which fronts the A422 known in 2013 as Thrupny-bit House. The walls, all posts, fences, gates and fixed modern structures are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath them is included.

There is considerable potential for undesignated heritage assets to survive to the north and north-east of the medieval settlement, in particular the fishponds and water features which are an integral part of the pleasure grounds to the house may have medieval origins, but are excluded from the scheduling because of their reconfiguration as part of the designed landscape in the C17 and later.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The medieval village at Steane is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Survival: for the exceptional survival of earthworks and buried remains depicting the form and plan of the settlement;
* Potential: for the stratified archaeological deposits which retain considerable potential to increase our understanding of the physical characteristics of the buildings and settlement. Buried artefacts will also have the potential to increase our knowledge and understanding of the social and economic functioning of the settlement within the wider medieval landscape;
* Documentation: for the high level of historical documentation pertaining to the settlement’s evolution;
* Group value: for its close proximity and historical association with Steane Park House and stables (listed at Grade II) and the Chapel of St Peter (listed at Grade I) and undesignated heritage assets such as the Roman settlement site and former fish ponds to the north-east;
* Diversity: for the range and complexity of features such as building platforms, crofts, trackways, which, taken as a whole, provide a clear plan of the settlement and retain significant stratified deposits which serve to provide details of the continuity and change in the evolution of the settlement, manorial centre and designed landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Allison, K J, Beresford, M W, Hurst, J G, The Deserted Villages of Northamptonshire, (1966)
Astill, G, Grant, A, The Countryside of Medieval England, (1988)
Aston, M, Austin, D, Dyer, C(eds), The Rural Settlements of Medieval England: Studies dedicated to Maurice Beresford and John Hurst, (1989)
Aston, M, Austin, D, Dyer, C(eds), The Rural Settlements of Medieval England: Studies dedicated to Maurice Beresford and John Hurst, (1989)
Christie, N, Stamper, P (eds), Medieval Rural Settlement: Britain and Ireland AD 800-1600, (2012)
Hall, D, Turning the Plough. Midland Open Fields;landscape character and proposals for management, (2001)
Partida, T, Hall, D, Foard, G, An Atlas of Northamptonshire The Medieval and Early-Modern Landscape, (2013)
Roberts, B K, Wrathmell, S, An Atlas of Rural Settlement in England, (2003)
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, , The County of Northamptonshire, (1981)
Williamson, T., Partida, T, Champion. The Making and Unmaking of the English Midland Landscape, (2013)
Other
Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record (HER),

Source: Historic England