Monument record 400/1 - Monastic Grange (Abbots of Evesham)

Site of 13th Century and later monastic grange of Evesham Abbey. The site has been excavated and revealed three periods of construction: Early to mid 13th Century, when the moat was constructed and a series of stone buildings erected; the 14th Century when the bakehouses and other structures were built; and the 15th-16th Century when most of the buildings, except the chapel, were demolished and replaced by a groups of structures round a courtyard.

{1} Roger Norreys Abbot of Evesham (1189-1213), built an impressive moated grange at Badby; it was described as "noble, almost regal" and built mostly for the purposes of pleasure. The Abbey chronicle claimed "he feasted on delicacies with some of the brethren, sometimes for a quarter of year, sometimes longer. He would stay at Badby devoting his time to his stomach and his body".

{2} Remains of a medieval moated site; the manor was acquired before C12th by the Benedictine Abbots of Evesham and retained by them until Dissolution. The manor was divided into small holdings and let out. In the early C13th Abbot Roger Norreys constructed a moated retreat house which also served as an administrative centre. From 1538 when the manor was granted to Sir Edmund Knightley, the house continued in use for almost a century as a domestic dwelling and manorial court, becoming known as The Court House. In 1634 the estate was divided and the court moved away. The house was re-used as an inn but fell into decline and by the late C18th was no longer standing. Fieldname: Court Yard. The stone buildings were fully excavated 1967-9. A rectangular stone hall with central stone fireplace was revealed; also a small rectangular chamber, a chapel and further building remains to the north, the latter were probable domestic outbuildings. There were overlying remains from later occupation; a stable block was added to the north-east corner of the hall, joining it to the earlier buildings. It included ovens, a garderobe and possible brewhouses. There are documentary records for bakehouses in 1345. The complex was rebuilt in the C15th/C16th. The courtyard layout and a cobbled road were revealed, along with a moated platform. Further buildings were revealed as parchmarks in 1991. Further to the south-east and close to Berry Green Farm are the low earthworks of a long rectangular building; this possibly includes agricultural buildings associated with the moated site and in some cases surviving it.

{3} Site of moated monastic grange or manor house (SP 562 591). The site consisted of small rectangular area of just under 0.5 ha,bounded by a shallow ditch except on the W side where there was a small N-flowing stream.It was fully excavated in 1967-9 and three major periods of construction were identified. In period I(early to mid 13th century) the moat was constructed and a series of stone buildings erected within it, consisting of a stone hall and various detached domestic buildings. A chapel and a chamber were later added, at opposite ends of the hall. In period II (14th century) bakehouses and other structures were built, the hall was altered, the chapel extended and a stable-wing added. In period III (15th to 16th century) most of the buildings except the chapel were demolished and replaced by a group of structures round a courtyard. The moat was enlarged at the same time. To the east were other earthworks now also destroyed by ploughing. These included a large embaked paddock NE of the moat (at SP 563 591) and, to the E, a long pond with an embanked N side orientated E-W, possibly a mill pond or a fish pond (SP 563 590). There were also hollow ways or tracks crossing the area from the village to the river. On the Enclosure Map of Badby 1779 what appear to be the N and E sides of a very large moated site with an entrance through the middle of the E side are shown a little to the N of the excavated moat. At that time the whole area was known as Court Yard

{4} A third year of excavation confirmed the splitting up of the three major periods into several phases for each period showing continuous occupation of the site. With the exception of that part of the bakehouse and ancillary buildings which lie under crop in the field to the south, the site has now been totally excavated.

{8} Substantial foundations of at least two periods arranged around a cobbled courtyard. This courtyard was filled in and the masonry levelled in the 17th century, but the moat continued to be filled with water.

{16} The first stone building on the site was very substantial, with pitched stone footings, and was dated to the early part of the 13th century. Two periods of building succeeded it. The intermediary building was on a different alignment and consisted of bakehouses and outbuildings. There were two useful groups of pottery, one from the ash levels in the bakehouse and another from the ditch which drained the period 1 building. There were also coins and jettons from Edward I to William and Mary and many small finds of bronze and iron. The latest building was an enlargement of the original building and continued in use after the Dissolution until the end of the 17th century.

{17} The grange was of three periods: the first being a 13th century stone built hall, the second 14th century bakehouses and finally extensive alterations and addition in the following 2 centuries. The period 3 levels were removed from the rest of the bakehouses, showing two phases in period 2. The excavation of the period 1 hall was continued but not finished owning the complexity of the period 2 and 3 and post-medieval layers over it.
A section was cut across the moat proving that though it may originally have been of the first period, it had been cleared out and a large stone wall inserted to revet back the hillslope in period 3. During period 3 the hall had become a courtyard with an elaborate entrance.

{18} The complete plan of the 13th century stone built hall was recovered and it was found that this, the east end of the site, had a layer of make-up layers beneath it for levelling out a natural hollow and also that the chapel, of two phases, had been appended to the hall after its original construction. As the west extremity of the buildings garderobe pits were found for all periods; additionally there was a substantial garderobe pit, spanned by a corbelled arch on the south side of and contemporary with the hall in its first phases. The range of pottery followed that of previous years with much of it coming from Lyveden and kilns in the Oxford area. A 14th century sword in excellent condition was found in one of the garderobe pits.
Machine cuttings were also made to test the extent of the site; during these it was found that the south section of the moat had been extended to enclose a larger area during the final period. The area of the hall had become a courtyard in the latest period when substantial alterations took place to diminish the size of the rooms.

{19} Earthworks covering masonry of the 14th and 17th century and earlier timber structures. Of 14th century date was a cobble kitchen containing ovens and a well.

{20} Three periods of stone buildings with no trace of timber buildings beneath. The first belongs to the early 13th century; the second consisted of 14th century bakehouses on a different alignment. Finally the period 1 buildings were enlarged at the beginning of the 15th century and continued in use after the Dissolution until possibly the end of the 18th century. Plan.

{22} Period 1 (13th century). In the early 13th century a moat enclosure c.1acre was constructed, the upcast being used to level the site before erection of stone buildings comprising a stone hall with massive pitched stone footings and a Cotswold stone roof, measuring externally 23.5m E-W by 14m N-S and separate domestic buildings. Shortly after completion a chapel was added east and a chamber west of the hall.
Period 2 (14th century). In the mid 14th century freestanding bakehouses were built on a different alignment. These were later extendsed by the addition of two rooms (brewhouse?) ands a garderobe, and the hall was modified to 20m by 11m and reroofed in ceramic tile. The chapel was extended from its original 7m E-W by 6m N-S to 10m by 7m. The hall now had opposing doorways for a screens passage, and a large hearth and oven in the east wall replaced the original stone fireplace. At this time a wing was built out from the hall. This was probably a stable block as a large cess-pit, which was covered with a corbelled arch incorporated in the masonry above it contained muych decayed straw and insects which live in wood and straw.
Period 3 (15th-16th century). Most of the earlier buildings were demolished in favour of smaller rooms grouped around a courtyard with a double garderobe at the west. The chapel was retained. An elaborate flight of steps led into the court from a cobbled roadway at the south west end, and the kitchens were rebuilt east of the previous ones with a well and a cobbled courtyard. That these rooms had an upper storey is testified by the remains of a staircase.
The moat was once again cleaned out and a new moat had been dug on the north side enlarging the enclosed area considerably; the upcast from this new work was dumped in the old moat.

{23} SP 6527 5915 The excavation is still open although somewhat overgrown. A series of foundations are visible, but these are not surveyable. The surrounding area is under crop and the surface is littered with Md tile fragments, spread by ploughing.

<1> BROWN A.E., 1991, Badby, Northamptonshire, p.19-20 (part checked) (Article). SNN41344.

<2> English Heritage, 1994, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, SAM 17152 (part checked) (Report). SNN1342.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.8 site 3 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<4> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1970, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1969 (Medieval), 4/15-16 (checked) (Article). SNN30971.

<5> Department of Environment, 1969, Archaeological Excavations, 1968, 60 (Note). SNN110875.

<6> Baker G., 1822-36, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.256 (unchecked) (Book). SNN10400.

<7> 1967, CBA CALLENDAR, /15 (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN8923.

<8> 1966, Medieval Archaeology (10), 10/202 (checked) (Journal). SNN58109.

<9> Northampton Museum Records, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN126.

<10> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP55NE10 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<11> GRAY M., Badby Monastic Grange, Northants: Interim Report on Excavations 1967-69, (unchecked) (Interim Report). SNN55277.

<12> 1967, Archaeological Excavations (Various Years), p.15 (unchecked) (Series). SNN8922.

<13> 1779, Badby Enclosure Map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN8913.

<14> 1967, WEST MIDLANDS ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL NEWSHEET, 10/6 (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN8919.

<15> SUPPLEMENTARY FILE, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN51777.

<16> Brown A.E. (Ed.), 1967, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1966/67 (Medieval), 2/21 (checked) (Article). SNN26725.

<17> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Medieval), 3/19 (checked) (Article). SNN57956.

<18> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1970, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1969 (Medieval), 4/15-16 (checked) (Article). SNN30971.

<19> 1967, Medieval Archaeology (11), 11/301 (checked) (Journal). SNN26755.

<20> Wilson D.M.; Gillian Hurst D. (Editors), 1968, Medieval Britain in 1967 (12), 12/190 (checked) (Notes). SNN55155.

<21> 1969, Medieval Archaeology (13), 13/270 (checked) (Journal). SNN38357.

<22> 1970, Medieval Archaeology (14), 14/191 (checked) (Journal). SNN38358.

<23> Allanson, C D, 1976, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 CDA 29-OCT-76 (Notes). SNN112955.

<24> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, (RAF CPE/UK/1994 1275-6) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<25> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), AF0615738 (Archive). SNN112900.

<26> Mrs G Brown, 1967, Excavations and Fieldwork, 1966-67 (Note). SNN115491.

<27> Gray, Margaret, 1968, Interim report: Badby 1968 (Note). SNN115535.

Record last edited

Apr 15 2024 2:03PM