| Summary : The earthwork and buried remains of a medieval moated manor known as Braybrooke Castle and its associated enclosures and water control features. In the early 14th century Thomas de Latimer was granted a licence to strengthen his manor house at Braybrooke and documentary sources indicate that the moated house was constructed at this time. The manor passed to the Griffin family in the early 15th century, but by the mid-16th century the buildings were in a poor condition. They were finally pulled down in 1633 and replaced by a farmhouse which itself was demolished in 1960. The earthwork and buried remains of the moated site, which measures 80 metres square, lie within a larger rectangular enclosure which is bounded by a ditch to the east, by a ditch and bank to the south and a pond to the west and north. These enclosure ditches form part of a water managment system associated with the moated manor and include ponds, fish breeding tanks and further water channels. To the north of the moated site is a large rectangular pond. At its eastern end is a smaller pond which is joined to the former by two channels which in turn form two sides of a small raised island. To the west of the maoted site are a series of inter-connencting fishponds that take the form of rectangular mounds surrounded by ditches. Three have shallow depressions or ponds within them which have been interpreted as fish-breeding tanks where small fish were kept until they were large enough to be transferred into the main pond. A further dry, rectangular pond is visible to the south. The area to the east of the moated site is divided into a number of small enclosures or paddocks. To the south east of the moated manor site are the remains of a further moated site. |
More information : (SP 76868447) Castle (LB) site of Moat (LB) (1)
Braybrooke Castle comprises several enclosures, the largest of which is a lake, filled by the stream at its NE corner. The castle keep was probably on the mound (Section E-F) although there are no traces of stonework there (or elsewhere). To the S and W of the 'keep' appears to be the courtyard, or bailey, and to the E of this is a rectangular enclosure, containing a moat (Section G-H) within which is a modern farmhouse. The moat is possibly not part of the original plan.
The small mounds cut by sections C-D and J-K are peculiar, and the writer knows of no similar cases.
The entrenchments are not now in very good condition, and the road passing along the S edge of the castle may have destroyed an outer ditch. The entrenchments probably continued NW, and W and N, and the entrenchment sectioned by L-M probably returned W to complete a triangular enclosure. (2)
The earthworks comprise a large fishpond with, ranged along its southern bank, the remains of a complicated manorial site.
The pond was fed from the east, firstly into a small 'reception' pond and then either side of an island (section J-K, authy 2) into the main basin.
Of the other features, the westerly are two square islands situated N-S, (section C-D, authy 2) flat topped and of similar height, possibly an early double moat, the ditch bottom being above the pond bed. Adjacent are three sub-rectangular mounds, each having a sub-rectangular depression. Only the largest is noted by authy 2 who suggests it is the site of the keep (section E-F). It is however the only one to hold water and has an overflow out on the west side. The absence of masonry, the sharpness of profile and the off-squareness of the features seems to indicate it and the others were constructed for some other purpose.
The published site of the castle is occupied by the remains of the farmhouse where the moat survives only to the north and east. The west arm has been utilised as a drain and has silted up. The ditch alongside the road probably continued through where farm buildings now stand, to link up with the channel from the east end of the large pond.
South of the road at SP 76958438 is a small ditched enclosure which may be associated with the main site. See annotated 25" survey.
The ditch continuing eastward is not considered to be an integral part of the main complex. (3)
Braybrooke Castle, centred SP 768845. First mentioned in the mid C12th. c.1200 documents mention fishponds already in use. The acquisition of timber for building work is recorded in 1213, and a garden in 1292. In 1303-4 license was granted for the strengthening of the manor with a stone wall. In 1329-30 there is mention of a waterfilled moat. The castle buildings were used as a farmhouse from 1549-50 until demolition prior to 1633. A mid-C17th farmhouse stood on the site until 1960 (photographs in NMR). RCHM plan of earthworks. The rectangular, flat-topped mounds W of the castle with central depressions up to 2.5 m. deep may be fish breeding tanks. For detailed history see subreference 4a. (4)
Scheduled (5)
Listed by Cathcart King. (9)
Scheduled area extended (6) |