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
