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.
Iron has been produced in England from at least 500 BC. The iron industry,
spurred on by a succession of technological developments, has played a major
part in the history of the country, its production and overall importance
peaking with the Industrial Revolution. Iron ores occur in a variety of forms
across England, giving rise to several different extraction techniques,
including open casting, seam-based mining similar to coal mining, and
underground quarrying, and resulting in a range of different structures and
features at extraction sites. Ore was originally smelted into iron in small,
relatively low-temperature furnaces known as bloomeries. These were replaced
from the 16th century by blast furnaces which were larger and operated at a
higher temperature to produce molten metal for cast iron. Cast iron is
brittle, and to covert it into malleable wrought iron or steel it needs to be
remelted. This was originally conducted in an open hearth in a finery forge,
but technological developments, especially with steel production, gave rise to
more sophisticated types of furnaces. A comprehensive survey of the iron and
steel industry has been conducted to identify a sample of sites of national
importance that represent the industry's chronological range, technological
breadth and regional diversity.
The buried remains of medieval iron working activities at Stanley Grange
provide a rare example of this type of site. Archaeological excavation, field
walking and geophysical survey have shown that the buried remains are both
well preserved and extensive. The various forms of furnaces recorded indicate
a degree of technical innovation and provide evidence of a smelting technique
not yet recognised elsewhere. Combined with documentary evidence of land
ownership, the physical remains will enhance our knowledge and understanding
of the medieval industrial landscape and, in this case, its association with
Dale Abbey.
Details
The monument includes the below ground remains of medieval iron working at
Stanley Grange. The site is situated on the north side of Stanley Brook, a
tributary of the River Erewash. The geology is predominantly Lower Coal
Measures, which provide a source of Black Rake ironstone.
Stanley Grange formed part of extensive estates within Stanley and Dale Abbey
parishes which were granted to Dale Abbey during the 12th and 13th centuries.
Documentary sources relating to Dale Abbey make no direct reference to
ironworking at Stanley Grange or at any other of the abbey's properties, but
antiquarian references to medieval iron ore mining in rakes (ore extraction
works which follow the line of the vein from the ground surface) at Dale
Abbey, Stanton and West Hallam suggest that iron ore was actively extracted
from the coal measures around Stanley Grange during the Middle Ages.
The core of the monastic grange is thought to have lain within the curtilage
of the present farm, not least as the present buildings include a lot of
reused stone. The area of the present farm is, however, not included within
the area of protection because the survival of any archaeological remains
here has not been confirmed. The area of protection therefore focuses on the
industrial activity to the north.
The monument survives as a series of buried remains which have been recorded
through a programme of archaeological evaluation, systematic fieldwalking,
partial excavation and geophysical survey. The remains were recorded in
fields to the south east, north, north east and north west of Stanley Grange.
Systematic fieldwalking revealed a scatter of medieval pottery and iron
working slag, including tap slag (slag which has been removed from the
furnace by a process of tapping and shows the flow marks of the once molten
iron). Geophysical survey followed by a series of excavated trenches indicated
that the artefact scatters represented the surface remains of a number of
buried furnaces.
Total excavation of some of the remains was carried out in advance of open
cast mining in the field to the north east of Stanley Grange. The central
section of the field was mined, but remains of furnaces which were identified
from field walking and geophysical survey have been preserved within the
narrow margin around the edge of the open cast area.
From the excavation, the remains of eight furnaces and evidence of ore
preparation, smelting, bloom refining and some evidence of secondary smithing
were recorded. Archaeomagnetic dates for the iron working place the activities
between AD 1220 and 1315. The form of the furnaces in use at Stanley Grange
is varied and novel and includes forms associated with ore roasting and
crushing. The range of furnace types indicates a degree of technical
innovation, particularly with the use of wind power to provide the draft for
smelting. The area of protection only includes the remains which were not
subjected to total excavation.
All modern fences and track surfaces are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath these is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
