Remains fo the medieval deer park wall, Newton Park. Photo by Harry Rowland, 1960s.

(NZ 046990) Newtown Park. (1)

In a survey of 1702 is the entry - 'Demesne Park: The tenants (of Newtown) hold Newtown alias Rothbury Park containing 273 acres : £2:18:4.' ('Deer Park Wall' shown on Plan of Lordenshaws Camp (NZ 09 NE 2)). (2)

The large blocks of sandstone at the western gateway of Lordenshaws camp have been mutilated probably by the 13th century builders of Robert fitz Roger's deer park wall, which runs past the west side of the camp. The presence of this wall may also account for the mutilation of the incised stone and also for the incomplete state of the southern ramparts which seem to have been robbed of many of their stones. (3)

The wall surrounding Newtown Park is traditionally ascribed to a FitzRoger who enclosed a deer park in the first decade of the 13th century. It is a massively built dry stone wall of large flat-bedded neatly hammer-dressed stones. Only foundations remain, except in the sector indicated on the map where it serves in part as a retaining wall. The wall is important as evidence for the date of the deep trackways which break through it and which therefore, in their present form, cannot be prehistoric as has sometimes been supposed.(4)

Newtown Park Wall or FitzRoger's Deerpark Wall has been included in a list of buildings of special architectural or historical interest under the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, Section 30. (5)

A-B: Old field bank 2m wide, 0.1m to 0.7m high. Large stones visible in places but no trace of wall in situ (course).
B-C: Modern fence running on foundation of wall (remains).
C-D: Wall 0.9m thick, 0.7m to 1.3m high. Upper part appears to have been rebuilt in places (remains).
D-E: Wall 0.9m 1m thick, maximum height 1.3m, collapsed in places (remains). Running parallel to wall on south-east side is a ditch-like depression, almost certainly an old hollow way similar to the many others that exist in this region.
E-F: Wall 0.9m to 1m thick, maximum height 1.3m, collapsed in places (remains).
F-G: No trace of wall in the vicinity of old cottage foundations (course).
G-H: Foundations of wall up to 0.3m high visible (remains).
H-J: Visible only as a difference in vegetation with a few stones in places (course).
J-K: Stony bank 2m wide, 0.1m to 0.5m high. No trace of wall in situ (course).
K-L: Only trace is a few stones in the heather (course).
L-M: Scatter of stones along line (course). Hollow way 4m wide runs parallel on south-east side.
M-N: Stony bank 3m to 4m wide, 0.2m to 0.9m high, representing collapsed wall (remains). Hollow way 6m wide runs parallel on north-west side.
N-P: Bank of stones 3m wide, 1.2m high, representing collapsed wall (remains).
P: Gap in wall 4m wide where cut by old hollow way.
P-Q: Wall, badly collapsed in places, 0.9m to 1.1m thick, maximum height 1.3m. The wall has been partly used to retain the higher ground to the south. Pressure from this higher level is probably the cause of the partial collapse. (remains).
Q-R: Area under new afforestation and not investigated. From a distance appears to be in similar condition to, and have same dimensions as the stretch from 'P' to 'Q' (remains).
R-S: Under new afforestation. Not investigated, but foundations visible from distance (remains).
S-T: Under new afforestation. Not investigated but no trace visible from distance. Area has been subjected to deep ploughing for tree planting (course).
T-W: No trace (course).
W-X: Short length of wall foundation visible in turf. On prolongation of parish boundary to south (between points 'S' and 'T') (remains).
X-Y: No trace (course).
Y-Z: Stony bank 4m wide, 1.2m high but no trace of wall in situ (course).
Z-A1: No trace. Old quarrying (course).
A1-B1: Stony field bank 2m to 4m wide, 0.2m to 1.3m high, but no trace of wall in situ (course).
B1-C1: No trace (course).
C1-D1: Field bank 4m wide, maximum height 1.2m with core of wall protruding in places.
D1-E1: No trace (course).
E1-F1: Field bank 3m to 7m wide, 0.2m to 0.9m high. Many stones visible but no trace of wall in situ (course).
F1-G1: Collapsed wall, 0.9m to 1.2m thick, maximum height 0.8m (remains).
G1-H1: Foundations of wall visible, up to 0.3m high (remains).
H1-J1: Heavy stony scatter but no certain traces of wall in situ (course).
J1-A: Collapsed wall forms stony core of field banks. South face of wall, apparently in situ, visible in places (remains). (6)

Condition unchanged. (7)

The extent of the park boundary throughout NZ 0399 has been obliterated by deep ploughing and is now under thick afforestation and any traces are not worthy of survey action. See diagram based on field report. (8)

Grade I listed building. Newtown Park Wall of Fitz Roger's Deerpark Wall. The wall surrounding Newtown Park is traditionally ascribed to one of the Fitzroger's who enclosed a deer park in the first decade of the 13th century. It is a massively built dry stone wall of neatly dressed stones. (9)

No longer listed. (10)

Part of scheduled monument number 32724. (11)

The well preserved remains of the deer park pale survives in the eastern part of the survey area. The pale consists of an earthen bank which is retained by a well-built revetment wall. The wall, which survives in places up to 1.5m high, which was possibly the original height. It is built of squared and dressed dry sandstone masonry. Only the pale forming the southern boundary of the deer park can be seen, the course of the remaining section to the north of White Park Well has been obscured beneath a plantation. The modern Ordnance Survey continues to mark its course which was adopted as the boundary between Hollinghill and Tosson parishes. (12)

Part of the east edge of the park pale surveyed at 1:1000; the park is briefly described. (13a)