The Grange moated site, Hose

Reasons for Designation

A monastic grange was a farm owned and run by a monastic community and independent of the secular manorial system of communal agriculture and servile labour. The function of granges was to provide food and raw materials for consumption within the parent monastic house itself, and also to provide surpluses for sale for profit. The first monastic granges appeared in the 12th century but they continued to be constructed and used until the Dissolution. This system of agriculture was pioneered by the Cistercian order but was soon imitated by other orders. Some granges were worked by resident lay-brothers (secular workers) of the order but others were staffed by non-resident labourers. The majority of granges practised a mixed economy but some were specialist in their function. Five types of grange are known: agrarian farms, bercaries (sheep farms), vaccaries (cattle ranches), horse studs and industrial complexes. A monastery might have more than one grange and the wealthiest houses had many. Frequently a grange was established on lands immediately adjacent to the monastery, this being known as the home grange. Other granges, however, could be found wherever the monastic site held lands. On occasion these could be located at some considerable distance from the parent monastery. Granges are broadly comparable with contemporary secular farms although the wealth of the parent house was frequently reflected in the size of the grange and the layout and architectural embellishment of the buildings. Additionally, because of their monastic connection, granges tend to be much better documented than their secular counterparts. No region was without monastic granges. The exact number of sites which originally existed is not precisely known but can be estimated, on the basis of numbers of monastic sites, at several thousand. Of these, however, only a small percentage can be accurately located on the ground today. Of this group of identifiable sites, continued intensive use of many has destroyed much of the evidence of archaeological remains. In view of the importance of granges to medieval rural and monastic life, all sites exhibiting good archaeological survival are identified as nationally important.

Identified medieval grange farms are a relatively rare feature in the Leicestershire landscape. The grange site at Hose contains two water filled ponds giving the site potential for the preservation of organic material, while former buildings are likely to survive below the surface of the moat island. The grange is associated with Croxton Abbey, an important 12th century priory of Premonstratensian Canons.

Details

This monument consists of a moated grange situated north of Hose village and just to the east of Hose Grange Farm. The site is roughly rectangular, originally surrounded by a moat but only the eastern and western arms are clearly visible today as ponds. The approximate overall dimensions of the site are 65m east-west, and 50m north-south, the ponds measure 10-12m wide. Connecting the ponds are narrow ditches 0.5m deep, following the north and south arms of the moat. The surface of the island, contained by the moat is uneven, suggesting the presence of building foundations. A 16th century reference to a grange belonging to Croxton Abbey has been identified as being at Hose. The modern survival of the name Grange Farm adds further support to the site being a medieval grange of Croxton Abbey l0km to the east.

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:

17024

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Nichols, J, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicestershire, (1811), 219

End of official list entry

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