A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



part known as Stamford Baron or St. Martin's, on the south side of the 

 Welland ; and it is interesting to find that coins of Stamford mintage are 

 specially common in Scandinavian finds. 



Of the later Anglo-Saxon or Danish period there are many sculp- 

 tured stones,' as is only natural in a county so rich in pre-Norman archi- 

 tecture, but these do not fall to be treated here. 



There is little doubt that some of the earthworks* known as burhs 

 or motes date from this period, and many interesting examples occur in 

 Northamptonshire. Mr. Geo. T. Clark made the subject his own, and 

 prepared a list,^ perhaps incomplete, including Earl's Barton, East Farn- 

 don, Lilbourne, Rockingham, Sibbertoft ■* and Towcester." In his well 

 known work on medisval military architecture and in separate papers* he 

 treated some of these in detail, convincing himself and many others that all 

 of this type, a truncated cone of earth with base court all within trenches, 

 are earlier than the Norman period. The question can only be finally 

 settled by the spade, and it may here be mentioned that a Leicester- 

 shire earthwork'' very similar to Lilbourne showed traces of British, 

 Roman, Saxon and later occupations. Whether the mound near Tow- 

 cester church was the work wrought by Edward the Elder in April, 

 921, is open to question. The name itself as well as coins and pottery * 

 found on the site show Roman occupation, but do not date the actual 

 mound ; and some recent writers * are inclined to attribute many of the 

 motes to the early Norman period. At Earl's Barton however the existence 

 of an undoubtedly Saxon church tower within the stronghold is against this 

 view, though Prof. Baldwin Brown says'" that the mound in the church- 

 yard is probably not pre-Norman. Clifford's Hill overlooking the Nene 

 opposite Billing is more likely to have been a mote than a Roman specula 

 or observation hill ; and finally the earthwork at Castle Dykes '' with its 

 well preserved mound and lunette enclosures faces a camp of Roman or 

 still earlier date on the other side of a small valley, which may thus have 

 been the scene of military operations in the opening as well as in the 

 closing years of the Anglo-Saxon period. 



I A very imperfect list is given in Journal of British Anhaohgical Association, vol. xli. pp. 356, 357, 

 418 (at Moulton). 



^ A map with several marked is given in Arch<fologia, vol. xxxv. pi. xvi. 



' Journal of Archa-ohgual Institute, vol. xlvi. p. 209. 



* Figured in Gentleman'' s Magazine (1801), pt. z, p. 689. 

 5 Whellan's Gazetteer (1874), p. 547. 



* Journal of Architological Institute, vol. xxxv, pp. 210, 211 (Rockingham), and p. 112 (Earl's 

 Barton and Lilbourne), for which see also Whellan's Gazetteer (1874), p. 356. 



7 Castle Hill, Hallaton : Proceedings, Society of Antiquaries, vol. vii. p. 321. 



8 Whellan's Gazetteer of 'Northants (1874), P- 5 + 7- 



'J Especially Mr. J. H. Round, who has kindly supplied several useful references. Quarterly Review, 

 July, 1894, p. 43 ; Scottish Rez'ieu; Oct. 1898, p. 209 ; Mrs. E. S. Armitage's Key to English Antiquities, 

 p. 52 ; and Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Proceedings, I 899-1 900, p. 260. 



1" The Builder, Nov. 3, 1900. 



II A plan is given in Baker's History, vol. i. p. 376. 



256 



