Camera and moated site at Faxfleet Hall

Reasons for Designation

A camera is a subsidiary farm of a preceptory (a medieval monastery of the military orders of Knights Templar or Knights Hospitaller). Camerae are very rare in England with less than 40 known examples. In view of this rarity, and their importance in supporting the monastic communities of the preceptories (examples of which are also rare), all camerae exhibiting archaeological survival are identified as nationally important.

In addition to being a rare example of a camera, the monument at Faxfleet Hall continued in use as a moated site, possibly re-using existing buildings. This moated site survives well; the island is unencumbered by modern building and will retain evidence of the buildings which once occupied it and of those which preceeded it.

Details

The monument includes the site of a camera, a subsidiary farm of a religious house of the Knights Templar or Knights Hospitaller, and a later moated site, close to the northern bank of the Humber. The moated site is superficially similar to others in the area. The site was originally developed by the Knights Templar as one of their camerae. These farms were used to raise revenue to fund the Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries and the site at Faxfleet was valued at 290 pounds, 4 shillings and 10 pence in 1308, making it the wealthiest such site in Yorkshire at that date. The full extent of the area occupied by the camera is unknown and the scheduled area is defined by the later moated site. The site passed into the hands of King Edward II in 1322 and the moat is not thought to have been dug until after this date; it appears to have been excavated as part of flood defence works recorded in State Papers known as the Calendar of Close Rolls. The moated site includes a sub-rectangular island enclosed within a dry moat. The island is 90m long, north to south, and 40m wide, east to west. The enclosing moat is between 0.3m and 1.3m deep and between 10m and 12m wide. The northern arm of the moat has been almost completely in-filled. An earthen bank encloses the moat; lying immediately external to it. It has a maximum height of 0.3m and is 5m wide. Possible remains of a fishpond or drainage channel lie to the south-east of the moat. This feature appears to have been connected to the moat by an almost completely in-filled sluice. Neither the pond nor the possible sluice survive well enough for their relationship with the moat to be accurately described; they cannot, on present evidence, be dated with certainty as medieval remains and are not included in the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

21239

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Fallow, T M, The Victoria History of the County of Yorkshire, (1913), 257-58
Le Patourel, H E J, Moated site of Yorkshire, (1973), 111
History of the Kings Works in History of the Kings Works, Vol. 2, (), 937
History of the Kings Works in History of the Kings Works, Vol. 2, (), 937

End of official list entry

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