Medieval moated tile kiln 250m north east of North Grange Farm

Reasons for Designation

Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches, often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.

The moated site is unusual in that it was used for industrial purposes, having tile kilns on the island. Further remains of the tile-making activities will be preserved on the island, containing information additional to that which has been recovered by partial excavation. The surrounding moat will retain conditions suitable for the preservation of environmental remains. The site is also important because it can be linked to the nearby major abbey of Meaux; it will contribute to any study of the establishment and building of the abbey.

Details

The monument is a moated medieval tile kiln. It includes a central rectangular island enclosed by a dry moat and remains of an external bank. The raised island is 30m in length north-south and 40m east-west. It's surface is uneven and pitted, the result of partial excavations in 1958. The surrounding moat is 1m deep; the northern arm is 3m wide, the eastern is 10m wide and both the southern and western arms are 6m wide. An external bank 0.4m high and 5m wide is visible to the east of the moat. The site was discovered by G K Beaulah in 1930; excavations were carried out on the island in 1958 by the British Museum and Cambridge Geophysical Laboratory. Two clay floors, tile kilns and tiles were recovered from the site. The workshop first produced floor tiles for the abbey church at Meaux, which was paved during the abbacy of William de Dryffield (1249-1269). When the paving work was completed the tile kiln was demolished and a kiln for roof tiles was built on the site. Following a fire which destroyed that kiln a second tile kiln was built. This kiln is thought to date to the 1270s or 1280s.

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:

21182

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Platt, C, The Monastic Grange in Medieval England, (1969), 224
Poulson, G, History and Antiquities of Holderness, (1841), 293
Le Patourel, H E J, Moated site of Yorkshire, (1973), 115
Loughlin, N, Miller, K, Survey of Archaeological Sites in Humberside, (1979), 37
Eames, E, Medieval Archaeology in A 13th Century Tile Kiln at North Grange, Meaux, Beverley..., Vol. 5, (1961), 142

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.