Hall Garth moated site south of Beverley Minster

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.

Although part of the site has been disturbed by the construction of post- medieval buildings the monument survives reasonably well. Limited excavations have confirmed that below-ground archaeological remains survive well. The position of the western arm of the moat has also been confirmed. The moat is known to retain and preserve organic remains.

Details

The monument is the site of a moated residence of the Archbishops of York. It includes an irregular sub-rectangular moat surrounding a central island. The moat is visible on the northern, southern and eastern sides of the island, while the fourth, western, arm has been infilled. The southern and eastern arms have, in part, been redug as drainage ditches. The northern arm of the moat has been partially infilled and is now only a few centimetres deep. The western arm has been completely infilled and Long Lane, a metalled road, has been built over the top of it. The southern arm of the moat is also silted. The island has earthwork features across it. In 1948 limited excavations were carried out on the site to establish the location of buildings on the site. To the south of the inn at the north- eastern corner of the site, good quality ashlar-faced walls were found. Foundations of three other adjacent buildings were uncovered, including two halls aligned north-south and a further structure to the south thought to be the tower built by Robert Neville during the reign of Henry VI. In 1980 a rescue excavation was carried out on the eastern end of a wooden bridge abutment by the western moat. The timbers from which it was constructed have been dated to the years 1315-1330. The archiepiscopal manor was built before 1280, the date of the first documentary reference. During the early 14th century a timber bridge was built across the moat at the north-western corner of the site, including a possible drawbridge. During the 15th century, stone buildings were being built and enlarged on the site, and by 1444 the Archbishop's court was being held in the great hall of the manor, and his gaol was on the site. By the 1540's the site was in ruin and the stone was being removed, probably to build the Beverley Parks hunting lodge. In the post-medieval period the site continued to be the site of the manorial court and gaol of Beverley Watertowns, until a public house was built at the north-eastern corner of the site in the 19th century. This was demolished in 1958. The modern road surface and pavement overlying the western arm of the moat are excluded from the scheduled area, although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

21176

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Sheahan, , Whellan, , History and Topography of York And The East Riding, (1856), 225-6
MacMohan, K, Beverley, (), 40
Le Patourel, H E J, Moated site of Yorkshire, (1973), 110
Armstrong, P, Medieval Archaeology in Medieval Britain, Vol. XXV, (1981), 216-8

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