The Gatehouse website record for Bury Mount, Towcester

In the civil parish of Towcester. In the historic county of Northamptonshire (Modern Authority of Northamptonshire, 1974 county of Northamptonshire).

Mound, probably constructed as a motte in the late C11 or C12. Altered to become a gun platform in 1643. Described as a garden in 1848. The mound is 22ft in height and 102ft in diameter, and was originally surrounded by a wet ditch. (PsstScape)
It is recorded that Edward the Elder ordered the defences of Towcester to be strengthened in 918, when the town was threatened by the Danes. Bury Mount, a mound formed of earth and gravel, is 22' in height, 102' in diameter, originally surrounded by a wet ditch. It overlooks the River Tove, and the E side of the town, controlling the old road to Northampton which crossed the river by a ford close at hand. It is a typical example of a post-conquest Motte or mound, the earlier fortifications (the whole perimeter defences of Towcester?) forming the bailey or outer enclosure. The summit has unfortunately been flattened by landscape gardening, and it is not possible to state whether it was surmounted by stone or timber defences. (Simms)
Nothing is known of its history but it was apparently constructed in the late 11th to 12th century as the centre of a royal estate and lay adjacent to the medieval course of the road to Northampton. Alterations, apparently to serve as a gun platform, are recorded during the Civil War when Prince Rupert refortified the town in 1643. It is described as being 'surrounded by a motte [sic] which is supplied with water from the brook' in the early 18th century, and a surrounding ditch is shown on maps of 1843 and 1848-55 when the site was described as a Garden. (PastScape–ref. RCHME)
PastScape, refering the RCHME notes 'The surviving earthwork has an unusual profile, with gentle lower slopes surmounted by a near vertical face surrounding a level summit. The shape may be the result either of defensive improvements in 1643 or later gardening activity' but this unusual profile has also led to the suggestion that the motte may have been of the revetted form such as at excavated at South Mymms (qv).
The site of the former motte and bailey castle has recently been the subject of archaeological investigation. The earliest features and deposits preserved beneath Bury Mount were probably of Roman origin. Two substantial pits were excavated, which were sealed by buried soils. The soils accumulated during the post-Roman period and had been continually disturbed. Ditches created during this period were allowed to silt naturally and were redefined and later backfilled in the late 11th century. A stone building was constructed following the Conquest, and was replaced by the Norman motte in the 12th century. A circular ring of embanked earth formed the base using sandy clay and gravels from the motte ditch and from the surrounding township. Further deposits were tipped onto the ring of earth, raising its height, and spreading down into the centre, where the deposits became thicker to fill the cone-shaped central hollow. By the later medieval period the motte was probably disused and remained so until the Civil War. During the 19th century Bury Mount was landscaped, planted with trees and the motte ditch was recreated as a watercourse. Two cottages were built into the south side in the mid-19th century and the land was used for garden horticulture. The watercourse was intermittently maintained until the cottages were abandoned and demolished. (Brown and Soden, 2008)
The site was purchased by the local authority in 2004 and is undergoing redevelopment but the motte remains a scheduled monument and will be preserved. Archaeological investigation, including some limited excavation, has taken place. In 2008 a larger secondary outer bailey was identified to the west of the motte. The mount has been cleared of trees and shrubs and will be 'restored'.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP69344881

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 341280
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website, or elsewhere.

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