Reasons for Designation
A medieval rectory was the official residence of a clergyman or rector who was
the cleric in charge of a parish, college, religious house or congregation.
The main components of a medieval rectory included domestic ranges, some of
which may have been grouped around a courtyard and may have contained offices
and guest rooms, ancillary outbuildings for agricultural use and storage, a
precinct wall and a gatehouse. Foundation dates and sequences of occupation
are usually established through documentary sources, stylistic dating of
worked stone or other archaeological techniques. Medieval rectories contribute
to our understanding of the organisation of the medieval church. Their
buildings often include decoration and details which assist analysis and study
of changes in church architecture. All surviving examples retaining
significant medieval remains may be identified as nationally important.
Halsall medieval rectory remains unencumbered by modern development and
contains upstanding 14th/15th-century and later masonry. Further remains of
the original buildings and structures referred to in 16th and 17th century
documentary sources will survive below ground.
Details
The monument is Halsall medieval rectory (priest's house) located c.230m
north-north-east of St Cuthbert's Church. It is also known as Halsall Abbey or
Halsall Priory. The monument includes a wall of yellow sandstone, 17m long,
pierced by doors and windows and standing to a maximum height of nearly 5m.
This surviving walling indicates a substantial structure of 14th/15th-century
date that is thought to have been arranged around three or four sides of a
courtyard. Documentary sources indicate that in the 16th and 17th centuries it
contained a considerable number of rooms including a hall, parlours and
chambers and, possibly, a gatehouse. A group of buildings also lay to the east
while the Tithe Map of 1843 shows further structures to the north and west. A
plinth course on the north face of the upstanding walling indicates that it
was originally an exterior wall. Short projections at each end of the north
face are contemporary with the wall and are evidence for larger projections
shown on the Tithe Map. A break in the plinth course, together with repairs,
indicates that there was another projecting wall running north. Original
doorways at either end of the wall display 15th-century architectural details
while a third doorway in the eastern part of the wall was a later addition.
There is a window close to the west door, a second window survived until the
late 19th/early 20th century and there is evidence of a third window close to
the east door. Immediately to the south of the east door, springing from an
arch suggests an opening in the east wall possibly originally giving access to
outbuildings. Footings for another structure survive a short distance to the
south-west and photographs of the site taken between 1890-1920 indicate the
presence of one, or possibly two, doorways of a turret. Repairs and rebuilding
occurred in the late 17th/early 18th centuries and the rectory was largely
demolished in the mid-19th century.
The upstanding building remains are listed Grade II.
All walls and fences, are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground
beneath all these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22482
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
