Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

26
noticeable in the centre under the grass. Mr.
Babbs, farmer, recalled that "there is stone
paving which looks like a chequer board when
you.slip a spade in". A heap of Collyweston
type slates was found jutting out of the side
of the internal bank near the S.E. corner.
Two fragments of Lyveden type pottery, pink
fabric with grey section, were found with the
slates. (3) A sizeable piece of ashlar masonry
consisting of three ashlar blocks laid
In line was noticed in the centre at the
foot of the moat on the W. side. This may
be the abutments of a bridge. (4) The moat
varies from 35' to 50' wide, but has been
partially filled in places. (5) To the S.-E.
are two rectangular ponds, one dry; the other
80' N.-S. and 140' E.-W. half full of water,
joined to the main moat by a channel. A further
dry channel runs E.-W. to the S. (6)Two
further ponds separated by the lane which
runs N.-S. past the "castle" may have originally
been part of the complex.
WILSTEAD BY-PASS - Peter Woodward for Bedfordshire
C.C.
Wilstead By-pass, constructed during the
autumn of 1974/5, takes the A6 from Luton to
Bedford around the E. edge of the village of
Wilstead. The line of the road passed through
no known features of archaeological importance
apart from ridge-and-furrow, which was recorded
before construction works were begun, but a
watching brief on preliminary grading works
was carried out.
During construction, pitched stone foundations
of limestone were found at the N. end of
the by-pass near Duck End. Some sherds of
local medieval and post-medieval pottery (C14th
and Cl9th) lead window cames, glass and an
iron catch were found in association with the
footings. Although giading for the road had
disturbed all occupation levels, the finds and
the plan form indicated a projecting chimney
to a house.
On the enclosure map.of 1804 there is no
building mentioned for this piece cf land,
which was part of an old enclosure known as
Nortons Closes. At enclosure, Nortons
ses were exchanged by Samuel Whitbread: an
examination of Whitbread documents in the
Bedfordshire tounty Record Office allowed
the tracing of a likely descent. A house
seems to have been built on Nortons Closes
between 1639 (when no house Is mentioned) and
1648, when closes with Cottage, in which
George. Warner was living, were settled uPon
his grandson of the same name. It was still
standing in 1696, but was probably demolished
by 1725 (when a toft is mentioned), and was
definitely demolished by the time of enclosure
in 1804.
It seems probable that the foundations excavated.belonged
to some period of the construction
of this house.
CLAPHAM MANOR HOUSE, Bedfordshire -
'Bedford ArchaeOlogical Society
Excavations have continued on this site
throughout the summer of 1975. This year's
work was planned to find the limits to the
medieval and Elizabethan Manor Houses. Early
in the summer a mass of building stone was uncovered
over an area some 30' across; fortunately
it was found possible to remove much
of this,by mechanical means from the inside.
The base of a circular dovecote about 25'
in dia. was thus uncovered, with surviving
walls up to 4' high containing tiers of nesting
boxes. The floor was of packed clay,
with accumulations of bird droppings to a
depth of 6" to 8"; this contained pottery not
later than the early Cl4th.
Examination showed that the dovetote was
built of a very porous limestone, with ironstone
faults, on a water-logged clay base,
and that these facts had led to the collapse
of the building on one side under its own
weight. A number of bird skeletons were
found in the rubble indicating that the building
fell suddenly, trapping the inmates.
Several large rubbish pits were found round
the dovecote; these contained much pottery
and bone and a halfpenny of 11.11.
The discovery of the dovecote has delayed -
the work:which had been planned for 1975 and
there will probably be a further season's
work in 1976 in an attempt to complete the
programme.
PINKIES COWHOUSE, FLITTEN, Beds. - K.J.Fadden
for The Ampthill District Archaeological
and Local History Society
This small Cl6th building was excavated
during 1975.
The original purpose of the structure has
not yet been established but it was built on