Hampden Danes Camp

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Hampden Park

In the civil parish of Great and Little Hampden. In the historic county of Buckinghamshire (Modern Authority of Buckinghamshire, 1974 county of Buckinghamshire).

Mound in park of Hampden House, sometimes described as motte, sometimes as mill mound. One of the three mounds mentioned in PastScape NMRN 344295. Excavated in 1855 by B Burgess (3) in 1855, when he had a hole about three yards square by twelve feet deep dug in the centre of the mound. This only yielded several pieces of tile below the turf and a further piece at a depth of about seven feet. Burgess discounts the theory that this mound had been constructed for a windmill (PastScape–ref. Burgess, 1858). Renn wrote that has cropmark of small bailey, but this is not seen by other observers. This mound is, apparently, scheduled as a motte.
Although the view from Hampden House is somewhat obscured by the parish church this mound is orientated directly in front of the house and, I feel, the position is more consistent with prospect mound then with motte, However, the identical size of this mound with the two nearby mounds on Grim's ditch (qv), suggest this was a mill mound. The medieval manorial centre, based on the location of the parish church, is most likely under the site of Hampden House, which is C14 although now mainly C18 Gothic Revival. There was a medieval deer park and this leave a final possibility that this mound, and possible the others, were associated with viewing deer hunts.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP84750204

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 344295
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 0001201000 '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.

• Web site links
  • http://ubp.buckscc.gov.uk/ThemeDetails.aspx?UID=MBC31
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p35
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p27
    RCHME, 1912, An inventory of the historical monuments in Buckinghamshire Vol1 [south] p163-4 http://www.archive.org/details/inventoryofhisto01greauoft
• Journal Articles
  • Dyer, J.F., 1961, 'Barrows of the Chilterns' The Archaeological Journal Vol116 p7,16
    Renn, D.F., 1959, 'Mottes: a classification' Antiquity Vol33 p106-12
    Crawford, O.G.S., 1931, Antiquity Vol5 p168
    Burgess, B., 1858, 'Earth-Works at Hampden and Little Kimble' Records of Buckinghamshire Vol1 p138-9