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.
Details
The monument includes the earthworks and buried remains of a medieval
monastic grange which was probably abandoned during the Dissolution of the
monasteries in the 16th century. The grange was a farmstead dependent on
the Augustinian priory of Dunstable and worked by monks and lay workers of
that order. Like many of the Augustinian granges in western Derbyshire
this was founded on land which was good for both arable and stockrearing.
The remains of buildings and stock enclosures are visible as upstanding
earthworks in the slight hollow to the south of the present Mouldridge
Grange Farm. To the south and east of the farm there are traces of a
boundary bank standing up to 0.3m high and 8m wide at the base, which take
advantage of a terrace overlooking the site. To the west of the site a
natural shelf defines the western side of the grange enclosure. In the
eastern corner of the enclosed area is a well, and in the centre there is
a pond which may also be a feature of the original grange farm.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
33883
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
