Summary
The monument includes Scadbury Manor moated site including its island, moat, fishponds and the land enclosed by the eastern embankment.
Reasons for Designation
The moated site and fishponds at Scadbury Manor are scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: the island and moat survive well; the island containing archaeological features and the moat containing water on four sides. The fishponds are water-filled and survive well with their archaeological deposits intact;
* Potential: although a small percentage of the features on the island have been excavated, this excavation has also shown the potential for more archaeological information to be recovered. The fishponds and moat retain silt deposits containing archaeological information and environmental evidence about the moated site and fishponds and the landscape in which they were constructed;
* Historical evidence: there is a considerable body of historical information relating to the site and to the Walsingham family who were its owners from the C15 to C17;
* Diversity: many components of a classic moated site are present and it is a good example of its type;
* Group value: the moated site and fishponds relate to each other and to contemporary buildings in the vicinity.
History
1. History of Scadbury Manor
The manor of Scadbury does not appear in the Domesday Book and although the name has Saxon origins, there is no record of a Saxon manor of this name. However deeds relating to nearby Kemnal Manor, between 1257 and 1261, refer to members of the 'de Scathebury' family. The manor of Scathebury is first mentioned in a marriage settlement of 1343 between John de Scathebury the younger and Christina de Hadresham.
From c1424 to 1665 the manor was owned by the Walsingham family who played a prominent role in British political history of the Tudor and Elizabethan period. Sir Edmund Walsingham (c1480-1550) became Lieutenant of the Tower of London, where he was responsible for the prisoners of Henry VIII including Sir Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn. Sir Edmund's grandson, Thomas Walsingham IV (c1561), was a friend and patron of Christopher Marlowe the poet, playwright and government agent who was thought to have been at Scadbury on 18th May 1593 when he was served with a warrant concerning allegations of atheism. In 1597 Elizabeth I visited Scadbury where she knighted Thomas.
Sir Francis Walsingham, who is thought to have been born at Scadbury in 1532, was equally an important figure in Elizabethan politics, notably for his role as a spymaster. He was a member of the Star Chamber and was appointed Principal Secretary of State by Elizabeth I in 1573.
In 1630 the estate passed to Sir Thomas Walsingham V, later Vice-Admiral of Kent and Militia Commissioner for Kent, who for financial or political reasons - he had tried to keep on good terms with both sides in the Civil War - sold Scadbury in 1659. Documents indicate the size and wealth of the estate at the time it was sold. It included a mansion house, large gardens and orchards, three barns, three large stables, a granary, pigeon house, fish ponds and a 400 acre park with deer, rabbits, cattle and timber. There was also coppice woodland around the park, a meadow, a paddock and a number of farms. The whole estate was worth about £700 per year in rentals and profits. The sale value was thought to be about £5100, over half of which was the value of the timber.
The estate was bought by Sir Richard Bettenson (c1601-1679) and passed through his grandson to Thomas Townshend who in 1738 demolished the house within the moat and moved to nearby Frognal. The estate was maintained however, by holders of high public office. His son, also Thomas Townshend (1733-1800), became Baron and later Viscount Sydney and served as Home Secretary under William Pitt the Younger. The Australian city was named in his honour. His grandson, John Robert Townshend (1805-1890) was Lord Chamberlain and later Lord Steward of Queen Victoria’s Household. He conducted the Queen around Scadbury in 1872 and the Prince of Wales sometimes shot pheasant at Scadbury. In 1983 the estate was bought by the London Borough of Bromley and since 1985 has been managed as a public nature reserve.
2. Moated manor houses and fishponds
The moated island contains more than one phase of building. Features found during excavation show that the island was occupied from at least the C13 with subsequent phases represented by finds of C15 to C17 material.
There are about 6,000 known moated sites in England. They consist of wide ditches often water-filled and enclosing one or more islands on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some cases the islands were used for horticulture. Many moated sites, which had their origin in the medieval period, became prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences in the C16 and C17. The moat, which originally had been a practical military defence, is thought to have been latterly intended as a status symbol. 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 in the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.
To the east and south west of the moated site at Scadbury are two pairs of ponds which appear to be fish ponds relating to the moated site.
Fishponds were widely scattered throughout England with the majority found in central, eastern and southern parts, and in areas with heavy clay soils. Fewer fishponds are found in coastal areas and in those parts of the country where natural lakes and streams make freshwater fish readily available. Although C17 manuals suggest that areas of waste ground were suitable for fishponds, in practice it appears that most fishponds were located close to habitation or within parks where a watch could be kept to prevent poaching. Although about 2,000 examples are recorded nationally, this is thought to be only a small proportion of those in existence in medieval times. Despite being relatively common, fishponds are important for their associations with other classes of medieval monument and in providing evidence of site economy.
3. Additional Features
Scadbury Manor is a large and complex site where the principal elements are the medieval moated manor house and fishponds. Additionally, by the C16 it included a gatehouse, walled garden and farmstead. During the Second World War it was the site of Home Guard activity and perhaps training and more extensive defence installations. These features, particularly those which relate to the manor house, are important elements of a major site of this type.
Site of the former gatehouse
Scadbury Park Mansion, to the west of the moated site, was constructed around what appears to be a C16 outer gatehouse to the moated site. From c1700 it was tenanted as a farmhouse, but from 1831-61, it was occupied by Lord Sydney’s land steward. The house was gradually extended; the architect Jeffry Wyatt (1766-1840; from 1824 known as Sir Jeffry Wyatville) produced plans for improving the mansion, but it is not known if they were carried out. The mansion was lived in until the last of the Marsham-Townshend line died in 1975.
From Wyatt’s drawings and later photographs it appears that the mansion may have had a timber-framed, slightly jettied upper storey. A western extension had been added by 1883; a west wing and detached north-eastern building were in place circa 1900 and in 1919 two bow-fronted south wings were added. In March 1945 it had been badly damaged by a V1 flying bomb, which also destroyed the estate barn; it was destroyed by fire in 1976 being finally demolished in 1984.
The Walled garden or forecourt
The date of the remains of walls which once surrounded a walled garden or forecourt to the south of the mansion is not known with certainty, but comparison with other structures at Scadbury would seem to indicate that the enclosures may date to the C15 or C16 while part of the walls appear to be of C18 construction. Related to it, walls extend to the north-east and are incorporated in the later farm buildings adjacent to the garden.
Barn and Farm Building
A threshing barn and partitioned farm building were excavated and dated to the C16. The perimeter walls of the barn were uncovered, although not all of the interior was excavated. The excavated partitioned building is thought to have possibly been a privy.
Scadbury in the Second World War
During the Second World War Scadbury became an anti-invasion strong point. In 1940 a Home Guard defence post with two disguised blockhouses or redoubts were built on the south-east corner of the mansion; they were demolished with the house. A Second World War bunker, east of the house, survives. These were part of a complex of Second World War defensive installations which included pillboxes, trenches and gun emplacements to the north and west of the moated site.
4. Excavation history
Excavations at the moated site were carried out by Hugh Sydney Marsham-Townshend (1878-1967) mainly between 1925 and 1930.
Between 1986 and 2007 ODAS carried out excavations on the island of the moated site and at other locations in the immediate area. The demolished C16 estate aisled threshing barn was excavated in 1995, the remains of the C16 partitioned building, thought to have been a privy, was excavated 2001-02 and a cobbled path leading to the west entrance to the moated site has been excavated since 2007.
Details
The scheduled area includes the moated site with evidence of C13 occupation and the remains of a Tudor manor house on its island, the earthwork and moat inlet on the outer west side of the moat, the earthwork which leads around the northern edge of the moat with a return on its east side, the eastern embankment and two fish ponds to the east of the moated site.
Moated site
The moated site lies on the west side of the Cray valley, about 1,500m west of the River Cray. The island of the moated site slopes gently from west to east, and excavation has shown that this slope was levelled into three terraces some time after the C12 or C13.
The moated site, including the moat, measures about 76m east-west by about 50m north-south. The moat is not a regular shape; it is between 7m and 8m wide with its east arm extended to 17m wide. The moat is 2m deep on the east side and about 0.5m elsewhere. The outer side of the moat is clad in brick and cement with an outer bank some 1.5m high on its west side. There is a cylindrical moat inlet, composed of chalk blocks and about 2m deep, which abuts the western side of the bridge position. The island, which is about 51m x 37m, contains the brick remains of a Tudor manor house which was demolished in the C18. Much of the remaining Tudor brickwork is capped by brick added in the 1920s or 1930s as a partial reconstruction and conservation measure. The brickwork stands to various heights with original fabric mixed with the 1920s or 1930s additions. Upstanding brickwork including a chimney and pillars/piers mark the position of the hall. On the north side of the island is a barrel-roofed cellar and the foundations of the parlour. On the south side of the island the outer wall of the mansion stands to between 1 and 2m high mostly capped by later brickwork. At the western side of the island the outer brick wall, composed of Tudor and modern brick, stands to about 0.8m with original internal buttresses. Here the position of the former drawbridge and the brick foundations of the gatehouse are visible. In the centre of the island are the foundations of the hall, a ruined brick cellar and the kitchen area. To the north-east side of the island is a gabled timber building which is a modern apple store thought to date from c1928; it is excluded from the scheduled area, although the ground beneath is included.
A slight earthwork up to 0.5m high leads from the north of the moat outer edge with a return on the east side. There is an extensive eastern embankment, about 20m wide west-east with a level top, composed of made ground, which slopes down to the east for about another 15m.
Fishponds
The two lozenge-shaped fishponds lie about 90m to the east of the centre of the moated site. They are aligned north-south. The northern pond is 45m long and that to the south is 32m long, both are 12m wide at their widest point. Although their edges are overgrown with dense vegetation, the ponds are quite regular, and are consistent with a flight of medieval fishponds. There is a slight return to the west at the south end of the southern pond which is shown on the 1894 Ordnance Survey map. Both this and the subsequent 1897 map show that the ponds extended further west from their present-day extent, with the 1897 map also showing the ponds to have been embanked.
Excavation results
The first excavations on the island were carried out by Hugh Marsham-Townshend between 1925 and 1930. He cleared the island of vegetation, excavated some areas and laid courses of bricks on insecure earlier brickwork. There are no detailed records of his work except a plan of the foundations and it is thought that much archaeological information has been lost.
Excavations have been carried out from 1986 to 2007 by the Orpington and District Archaeological Society with the co-operation of the London Borough of Bromley. About 18% of the archaeology of the island has been sampled. This work has been carried out in three main areas; (i) on the west side of the island behind the western buttressed wall (ii) in the centre of the island between the kitchen and ruined cellar and (iii) to the east of the kitchen.
(i) Excavation results from the construction trench of the west wall indicate that it was built in the middle or later C15. Towards the south end of the wall and forming part of it are the almost intact foundations of a gatehouse.
(ii) The cellar in the centre of the island adjoins the east side of the hall. The cellar has modern brick walls, built on the lower part of an earlier wall, a modern stairway and cement floor. Outside the modern brick east wall of the cellar the base of three brick pilaster buttresses were found resting against the lower part of an earlier wall. At the south side of the cellar was what appeared to be a pillar base and a mass of brickwork dating to the C15 or C16 and about 10 courses high, which is thought to have been the base of a staircase tower adjacent to the hall. Slight traces of a barrel vaulted roof were found which were thought to have been a feature of the cellar. A smaller barrel-roofed cellar was also found abutting this cellar to the northwest. No dateable material was found in association with the cellar, but the nature and style of the brickwork is thought to have been C15, the same date as the west wall. To the south of the cellar, at the east wall of the hall, a trench was excavated belonging to an earlier phase of building which produced C13 pottery in its secondary fill. This drainage trench emptied into the moat at the east side of the island. A cistern lay alongside the trench on the east side of the island. A pebbly surface, thought to be an out-door walk or courtyard, sealed the ditch and spread to other parts of the central area of the island. One complete well and an incomplete unlined well were also found on the island and thought to date to the C16.
The south side of the hall is composed of a brick wall, part of the 1920s or 1930s reconstruction, laid on a few courses of C15-C16 brick enclosing a probable passage way thought to have been constructed in the 1920s or 1930s. The kitchen walls to the east of the hall are of 1920s or 1930s construction restored on the foundations of C15-C16 brickwork.
(iii) To the east of the kitchen excavation produced a continuation of the C13 trench and the cistern.
Roof tile thought to date from the early C13 was recovered from all parts of the excavation. The early bricks are in English bond with lime-sand mortar. There are a few overfired grey bricks with surface glaze similar to those used in part of the walled garden for diaper work. The composition of the bricks appears to show local firing.
Of the animal remains found during excavation: cattle bones were predominant with sheep/goat, pig, horse and deer. Also present were bird and fish bones. Oyster shells were numerous suggesting that they were a significant part of the diet while mussel shells were less common and very few examples of cockle and whelks. A few bones of cat and dogs were also found.
EXTENT OF SCHEDULING
The scheduling is intended to provide protection for the moat, its island and the standing brickwork on the island, the earthworks at the outer edge of the moat including the moat inlet, the eastern enclosure and the fishponds.
The scheduled area encloses the outer edge of the moat, including the outer banks, and then extends eastwards to encompass the full extent of the eastern enclosure and the fishponds. The monument has a maximum width east-west of 154m and a maximum length north-south of 100m including a 5m margin for maintenance and protection of the monument.
The apple store, all roads, paths and their make-up are excluded from the scheduling, but the ground beneath these features is included.
