Chapel immediately north west of Manor House

Reasons for Designation

A medieval chapel is a building, usually rectangular, containing a range of furnishings and fittings appropriate for Christian worship in the pre- Reformation period. Chapels were designed for congregational worship and were generally divided into two main parts: the nave, which provided accommodation for the laity, and the chancel, which was the main domain of the priest and contained the principal altar. Around 4000 parochial chapels were built between the 12th and 17th centuries as subsidiary places of worship built for the convenience of parishioners who lived at a distance from the main parish church. Other chapels were built as private places of worship by manorial lords and lie near or within manor houses, castles or other high-status residences. Chantry chapels were built and maintained by endowment and were established for the singing of masses for the soul of the founder. Some chapels possessed burial grounds. Unlike parish churches, the majority of which remain in ecclesiastical use, chapels were often abandoned as their communities and supporting finances declined or disappeared. Many chantry chapels disappeared after the dissolution of their supporting communities in the 1540s. Chapels, like parish churches, have always been major features of the landscape. A significant number of surviving examples are identified as being nationally important. The sites of abandoned chapels, where positively identified, are particularly worthy of statutory protection as they were often left largely undisturbed and thus retain important information about the nature and date of their use up to their abandonment.

The remains of the St Nicholas's Chapel survive as a series of earthworks, standing and buried remains. The site has been subject to little disturbance with the result that the preservation of archaeological deposits is likely to be good. These are likely to consist of the foundations of the chapel and debris relating to its construction and use which can provide information as to its date, modification and eventual abandonment. As a result of the survival of historical documentation relating to the site the remains are very well understood and offer an important insight into the status and changing fortunes of the associated manorial settlement in the medieval and immediate post-medieval periods.

Details

The monument includes the standing and buried remains of St Nicholas's Chapel, a chapel of medieval and later date situated immediately north west of Manor House.

The standing remains of the chapel, which are Listed Grade II, consist of a fragment of the northern wall of the nave up to 4m in length and 2.5m in height. The wall is of coursed rubble and dressed stone construction and includes a doorway with moulded imposts, a single chamfered arch and hood mould which can be dated architecturally to the late 13th century. The original extent of the chapel is marked by a rectangular flat-topped platform up to 3m in height which covers an area measuring approximately 27m east to west and 13m north to south.

Documentary sources suggest that the chapel was built before 1162 by the Maunsell family, lords of the manor. In 1210 Robert Maunsell is recorded as claiming the proceeds from the chapel, but in 1220 it came under the control of the mother church at Church Langton. During the 16th and early 17th centuries there was a resident chaplain at Tur Langton, but the practice had lapsed by the 18th century. The chapel is depicted in some detail in an engraving dated to 1792 which shows it to have had a nave, a chancel, south porch and a west bell-cote with a space for two bells. St Nicholas's was partly demolished in 1866 and replaced by a new church 500m to the east.

All fences are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.

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:

30253

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Leicester, (1964)
Nichols, J, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicestershire, (1800)

Other
E.H., Listed Building Report SP 79 SW 7/112, (1966)

End of official list entry

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