Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

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A detailed survey of the site confirmed
the existence of the moat (1v156) and revealed
an extensive system of smaller fishponds, some
of which showed as darker marks in the parched
grass during the hot summer of 1975.
The Church is a Victorian repladement of a
Norman structure which had a larger chUrchyard,
the E. boundary of which remains some 30m E.
.
of the present church. To the N.W. of the
fishpond complex M156 and M157 may represent
house sites.
The survey of the field to the N. is not
complete,but the general picture is of house
platforms on the E. side of the village street
with long narrow crofts defined by ditches
running E. to the river. Within these crofts
are excavated areas representing gravel pits.
The Fishponds
This complex, situated between the church,
moated site and the river, is considered to be
the remains of a medieval fishery. This consists
of two large ponds E. of the moat (M56),
while N. of these several rectangular ponds
are sub-divided internally suggesting breeding
tanks. Other lesser ponds drain into the
larger ones.
In the field to the S. of the surveyed
area traces of another large pond were des-.
troyed by levelling and ploughing in July
1975.
POST EXCAVATION WORK
The last three years excavations have
produced 289 boxes of finds. These include
vast assemblages of pottery and over a
thousand small finds of iron and copper alloy.
Work has continued on the processing of these
finds. It is anticipated that the final results,
which will include the total excavation
of the shrunken village earthworks at
Great Linford, parts of the village sites at
Walton and Woughton-on-the Green, and moated
sites at Willen and Bradwell, will be combined
to form a monograph on medieval settlement in
the area.
DOCUMENTARY RESEARCH
Work has also progressed on the documentary
sources of history for the Development
Area. During the ,pest year work concentrated
on those which had already undergone excava-
tion: Bradwell, Bradwell Abbey, Great Linford
and Woughton-on-the-Green; and this selection
demonstrates the differential survival of doc-.
umentary evidence. Research has been restricted
to the medieval and early modern periods,
although a surveY of the C19th and,C2Oth Census
Returns for all parishes is in hand.
Bradwell (Bradwell Bury).
Excavation revealed several possible early
sites for one of the manor houses, now known
as Moat House. No documentary evidence has
been discovered so far which can be identified
with these sites as opposed to the other manor
house, now Manor Farm. The main early source
found is a cartulary at Northampton which
gives 79 charters dating from the mid-C13th to
mid-C14th, relating to land in Bradwell and
Stantonbury. From this it is possible to
identify many of the major landholders and to
compare the field names with more modern equivalents.
Another cartulary lists extremely
contracted charters of the mid-C13th to mid-
C15th. No court rolls have yet been found.
The descent of several farms has been traced
from original deeds, including Manor Farm and
Cooks Farm. A good selection of wills of the
Cl6th and C17th indicate the status and lifestyle
of .a cross-section of the community.
Bradwell Abbey
Much of the limited history of the Benedictine
Priory and of the lay estate which followed
the dissolution has been known for a
long time. Additional information about the
first tenant of the lay estate implies that
he was a member of the family of Wogan of
Wiston, Pembrokeshire, and was a gentleman
'usher'under Henry VIII. A copy of another
estate map of 1878 has.been made from the
original in the possession of Mr. Punter,
whose family were tenants of the Abbey Farm
for 60 years during the second half of the
C19th and early C2Oth.
Great Linford
The Abingdon Chronicle gives the teXt of
a Saxon charter relating to Linford (Bucks).
It is possible that up to three other Saxon
charters can be claimed as well.
From the Uthwatt collection at Aylesbury
come indications that the earliest known site
for the present manor house is beneath the