More information : In 1383 Katherine Swynford had licence from Richard II to enclose and make a park of 300 acres within her manor of Kettlethorpe (a). This deer park was broken up about 1830. There are still some remains. (1)
The remains referred to are most probably the bank extending
from SK 8412 7654 to SK 8437 7434, named the Sallie Bank. This
attains a maximum height of c. 3.0m. and has, on the west, a
stream running its entire length. A ditch on the east runs from
the north end to approx. mid-way, and the bank is for the most
part tree and bush covered. Parallel to this bank and
equidistant from the moated Kettlethorpe Hall is a stream
called Border Drain running north from SK 8556 7415 past Park
Farm to SK 8546 7664 which would apparently form an eastern
boundary. There is no positive evidence that these form part of
the Medieval park pale, in fact the area enclosed is c.600 - twice that noted by Authy.1. (2)
The deer park, centred at SK 850753 covering some 340 ha (850
acres), occupied the whole of the E part of the parish and
encompassed both what remains of the medieval settlement of
Kettlethorpe and its associated manor house, now Kettlethorpe Hall.
This unusual situation suggests that, in the later part of the
medieval period at least, Kettlethorpe was little more than a
palatial residence belonging to the Swynford family set within a
hunting park and perhaps comparable to the Bishop of Lincoln's
residence at Stow Park.
In 1383 Katherine Swynford was licensed to enclose and make a park
of 300 acres. This may have been part of the existing park or an
extension of an older one. The W boundary of this park extends
from the NE corner of Laughterton village, southwards along the
edge of Newton on Trent parish. Here a feature known as the
Sallie Bank comprises a ditch or stream either side of a bank up to
10m wide and 3m high and extends for some 1.7km. A further stretch
of approximately 500m survives to the N forming the park's NW
corner. The E boundary is probably the line of a stream, called
Border Drain, parallel to this bank, E of Kettlethorpe and
immediately E of Park Farm. To the S its limit was presumably the
parish boundary of Thorney (Notts) while on the N the modern
parish, formerly the township, boundary with Fenton marked its
line. A second length of bank perhaps part of an earlier park
pale, up to 10m wide and 1m high with an external ditch, runs E and
then S from Kettlethorpe Hall. It marks the limit here of a small
park which in the early 19th century, covered less than 40 ha.
(3-4)
The Sallie Bank, which is probably the Medieval park pale, was
seen as an earthwork and recorded as a part of the Lincolnshire NMP.
(Morph No. LI.653.1.1) (5) |