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CUBLINGTON

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The deserted medieval village of Cublington, centred around a medieval motte castle known as 'The Beacon'. The castle mound is conical in appearance with a flattened summit, measuring in total about 35 metres in diameter and 8 metres high. It is thought to have been constructed either by Gozelin the Breton, who acquired the manors of Cublington as a result of the Norman Conquest, or by the de Chesney family, who held the land in the 12th century. The earthworks surrounding the motte reflect part of the post-Conquest village of Cublington, a settlement which included at least 39 households in 1283. The village was abandoned soon after 1341, possibly as a result of the Black Death, although it was resettled around 1400 when the focus shifted eastwards around the newly built parish church of St Nicholas. The original parish church stood stood 50 metres to the south east of the motte, its location marked by a rectangular enclosure measuring 50 metres by 40 metres. A broad hollow way approaches the northern corner of the churchyard from the east. A lesser hollow way branches to the north of the main route near the motte, and slight earthworks surrounding this junction are thought to suggest the location of former buildings. The main section of hollow way continues in the direction of a large fishpond to the south west of the motte. A small square extension on the north eastern side of the pond may have served to separate the breeding stock. A pair of square enclosures, possibly paddocks, extends between the fishponds. The enclosures are each approximately 50 metres square defined by shallow banks and ditches. Scheduled.

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(SP 83362218) Castle Mound (NR).(1)

The deserted medieval village of Cublington is situated around the mound known as the "Beacon" (SP 83362218) which appears to have been a 12th century castle mount probably constructed by Walter de Chasney. The village was abandoned soon after 1341. Excavations in 1925 by Pelham Maitland placed the church in a rectangular ditched area east of the mound, a number of interments had been found previously in the former graveyard. In 1971 four good house platforms, a holloway and a rectangular fishpond were seen by Bucks County Museum. An area of shrinkage to the east of the later village at SP 845223 was photographed by St Joseph.(2-6)

A motte surrounded by traces of medieval settlement, both extensively mutilated by later quarrying, and situated on a prominent spur under rough pasture.

The motte is 5.3m high, and quarried on its south and west sides. The ditch, 1.5m deep, survives only around the NE arc. There are no definite remains of a bailey, but the area to the south and west of the motte is so confused by quarries and spoil heaps, that one may have existed.

Little survives of the deserted village due to later ground disturbance. The main trackway can be seen and one enclosure at SP 83642215. The site of the church was within this enclosure, but there is now no trace.

The Md earthworks to the east of Cublington at SP 844222 are ploughed out.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. (7)

No change to report of 18.10.73, AM survey correct. (8)

Scheduled listing. (9)

Listed by Cathcart King. (10)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1958

( 2) M W Beresford and J K S St Joseph 1958 Medieval England : an aerial survey

Cambridge air surveys Page(s)100-2

( 3) edited by William Page, F.S.A. 1925 The Victoria history of the county of Buckingham: volume three

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)338

( 4) by A Hadrian Allcroft 1908 Earthwork of England : prehistoric, Roman, Saxon, Danish, Norman, and mediaeval

Page(s)548

( 5) Aerial photograph

A/Ps (J K St Joseph BV 82-3)

( 6) Aerial photograph

A/Ps (RAF CPE/UK/2483 3217-9 10.3.48)

( 7) Field Investigators Comments

F1 NKB 18-OCT-73

( 8) Field Investigators Comments

F2 RSC 29-JUN-77

( 9) Scheduled Monument Notification

23-DEC-1997

(10) by David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands. Volume I : Anglesey - Montgomery

1 Page(s)27

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