Castlefacts³

Chipping Warden

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

Name	Chipping Warden
Alternative Names	Chipping Wardon; Castle Yard
Historic Country	Northamptonshire and the Soke of Peterborough
Modern Authority	Northamptonshire
1974 Authority	Northamptonshire
Civil Parish	Chipping Warden

At Chipping Wardon (sic) a small castle is said to have stood S.E. of the village, between an ancient burial-place and "the Black Grounds." (Mackenzie - located in Oxfordshire)

Moat (SP 501483), lay on the S.E. side of the village, close to the R. Cherwell, on Lower Lias Clay at 105m. above OD. From plans made before destruction, the site appears to have been a simple moated enclosure of roughly rectangular form. Air photographs show slight traces of what appears to be ridge-and-furrow on the island. Water entered the moat near its N.E. corner and returned to the R. Cherwell by a large ditch on the S.E. side. In 1809 the area was known as Castle Yard but nothing is known of its history. (RCHME)

The site of the castle, or baronial residence of the ancient lords, is indicated by earthworks, S of Chipping Warden church, in the grounds between the entrance lodge to Edgcote and the mansion (Baker).

This feature has been ploughed out and the field returned to pasture. Nothing of interest remains to be seen, and no finds have been reported. (F1 BHS 21-APR-70). (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

Chipping Wardon does appear to have been an alternative spelling of Chipping Warden in C16. There is a round earthwork called Arbury Camp said to be "presumably of iron age date" surrounded by medieval field system at SP494486, although this is S.W. of the village. This has a mound on the southern rampart, called 'windmill mound' in PastScape. However, it would seem Mackenzie and Baker were referring to a square moat shown on the 1st edition OS map at the given map reference, still visible as a cropmark on the air photo and approximately 100m each side as shown on the 1884 2500 OS map. This is larger than would be expected of sub-manorial homestead moat. This is sometimes suggested as a Norman castle (Beesley) but the form, a square moat, is not that of Norman castle.Chipping Warden was an important centre, a caput of Guy de Reimbercourt (Reinbuedcurt) and centre of an eponymous Hundred. The lack of remains, even in the C18, does not suggest a strongly built castle so, presumably, a fortified manor house. The manor house of Chippen Warden still survives beside the village church, although the remains there are C16 and later, but on location only, that must be the original manorial centre. The barony of Chipping Warden was a small and somewhat impoverished holding. However it may still have had the money to build a new and fashionable house somewhat outside the village in the C13/C14. This leaves questions as to the reason to return to the original house. Was the new house ever completed? Was it too large and expensive to run?

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

339333

County Historic Environment Record

www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/archives-and-heritage/northamptonshire-archives/research-and-history/Pages/historic-environment-record.aspx

OS Map Grid Reference	SP501483
Latitude	52.1313705444336
Longitude	-1.26847004890442
Eastings	450170
Northings	248370