Monument record 0036700000 - CHURCH FARM, SAUNDERTON

Summary

Earthworks of deserted medieval settlement recorded in field survey

Protected Status/Designation

Archaeological Notification Area: Earthworks of Medieval manor moats and motte, with probable site of a Roman villa (DBC9182)
Scheduled Monument 1018736: MOATED SITE AND ASSOCIATED MEDIEVAL REMAINS 430M NORTH OF CHURCH FARM (DBC7117)
SHINE: Saunderton Iron Age to Roman settlement and medieval moated manor earthworks. (DBC7667)

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Type and Period (1)

DESERTED SETTLEMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Description

NO COHERENT PATTERN OF DMV IN VICINITY OF SAUNDERTON (B1).
ORIGINALLY 2 MANORS & 2 CHURCHES IN SAUNDERTON (B2-4).
EARTHWORKS S OF REMAINING CHURCH PROB REPRESENT 2 MOATED MANORIAL SITES, A MOTTE & THE CHURCHYARD OF THE FORMER ST NICHOLAS' CHURCH (B1,B3).
SURVEY OF EARTHWORKS (B3).
SCHEDULED: SAM NO.29425 (B14).

DMV of Saunderton at SP 797018. Listed (B18).
A manor may well have occuiped the site south of the present church. There is no trace of the former church of St Nicholas, but two stone coffins are said to have been dug up on the site of the present farm buildings (at SP 79520182). The moat which once surrounded the church-farm has been filled in recently (B3).
There is no coherent pattern of a deserted Md village in the vicinity of Saunderton (SP 797018). Although there is no trace or local information of the former St Nicholas church, a raised enclosure centred at SP 79540180 is probably the graveyard of the church. During farm operations, the remains of at least 8 inhumations have been found within the enclosure since 1948 (a b) and Allcroft's siting of the stone coffins falls in this area. It is doubtful that the present St Mary's church pre-dates the 16th century. There is no ground evidence that the waterfeature to the W and N of Church farm once formed part of a surrounding moat (B19).

NRHE insert 1999 (17).

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence.

Sources (19)

<1>SBC10705 Bibliographic reference: OS RECORD CARD SP 70 SE 21 (FILED).
<2>SBC7325 Bibliographic reference: LANGLEY T 1797 HISTORY & ANTIQUITIES OF THE HUNDRE D OF DESBOROUGH PP372, 378.
<3>SBC20350 Bibliographic reference: A Hadrian Allcroft. 1908. Earthwork of England. pp476-477, 483, Fig 165.
<4>SBC20462 Bibliographic reference: William Page (ed). 1925. A History of Buckinghamshire (Victoria County History) Volume III. Volume 3. pp93-94.
<5>SBC903 Unpublished document: BCM ACCESSIONS REGISTER.
<6>SBC6906 Article in serial: KELKE W H 1865 DESECRATED CHURCHES IN BUCKS, RECS OF BUCKS 3 PP124-126.
<7>SBC5525 Bibliographic reference: G E SCRIMGEOUR, MARCH 1988.
<8>SBC26953 Bibliographic reference: George Lipscomb. 1847. The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham (Volume 3). Volume 3. pp621-628.
<9>SBC20466 Bibliographic reference: Royal Commision on Historical Monuments. 1912. Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire Volume 1. Volume 1. p276.
<10>SBC6246 Bibliographic reference: J F Head. 1955. Early Man in South Buckinghamshire. pp114-115.
<11>SBC6674 Unpublished document: J F Head. ORIGINAL SITE NOTEBOOKS C.1950-1953, CORRESPONDENCE, PHOTOS ETC (FILED).
<12>SBC4939 Map: FARLEY M E APRIL 1973 FIELD VISIT & OS 1875 1:1056 0 MAP,1ST EDITION (& SUBSEQUENT EDITIONS) & SEE M.
<13>SBC6338 Bibliographic reference: HEAD MRS L M & PIKE A R,JUNE 1986.
<14>SBC13942 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1999. SCHEDULING LIST OF INSPECTORATE OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS.
<15>SBC23789 Unpublished document: Archaeological Services & Consultancy Ltd. 2008. Archaeological Evaluation: Church Farm House, Church Lane, Saunderton.
<16>SBC28779 Verbal communication: J R Linge. 1974. Field Investigators Comments - F1 JRL 11-JAN-74.
<17>SBC27441 Digital archive: Historic England. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE).
<18>SBC28104 Serial: Deserted Medievial Village Research Group. 1965. Deserted Medieval Village Research Group, 13th Annual Report, 1965. p42.
<19>SBC28781 Verbal communication: J R Linge. 1974. Field Investigators Comments - F1 JRL 17-JAN-74.

Location

Grid reference	SP 79550 01800 (point)
Civil Parish	BLEDLOW-CUM-SAUNDERTON, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

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Record last edited

Jan 13 2026 2:55PM