HER 388 DESCRIPTION:- Scheduled Monument Description - (formerly SAM430) The monument includes a moated site, known as The Mount, set on low-lying ground in the Severn Vale. It is visible as a square moat enclosing an island measuring 50m by 48m and orientated north east - south west. The moat varies from approximately 10m to 16m wide and 3m to 4m deep to the surface of the water. The surface of the island is raised about 1.5m above the level of the ground outside the moat and a building platform, about 36m square and 0.5m high, is visible on the island. Between the platform and the inside edge of the moat on all four sides is a slight ditch and bank which is included in the scheduling. The moat narrows slightly in the north west corner. The south west corner of the moated site is abutted by the gateway into the churchyard and may have been the original access to the moat island. The Mount is believed to have been the site of the manor house of the Manor of Haresfield, held after the Norman Conquest by Durand, sheriff of Gloucester, and later by the de Bohun family. Although it is not known precisely when The Mount was constructed, a house called 'The Mount' was assessed at eight hearths in 1672 and in 1680 was described as 'adjoining the great old stone house and shooting towards the moat'. A number of features are excluded from the scheduling; these are the ruins of a small stone building on the north west corner of the island, all fences around the moat, the wooden footbridge across the north west corner of the moat, all wooden gates, the metal fence to the south and east of the moat and the metal kissing gate at the south east corner; the ground beneath all these features is, however, included. The wooden three-bar fences on the east and west sides of the monument which lie beyond the area of protection are not included in the scheduling. {Source Work 2873.} The Mount is apparently the site of the medieval moated manor house of the manor of Haresfield held after the Conquest by Durand, Sheriff of Gloucester, and later by the de Bohuns. {Source Work 894.} Visible on Severn Trent APs {Source Work 566.} tree lined - partially water-filled? {pers comm S Brown} 1986 - Visited by J Isaac-SMR and M Parker Pearson-HBMC 25-4-1986 following consultation by owner with HBMC. The owner wishes to clear the interior of undergrowth, and the moat, erect a new bridge and erect a replacement fence along E side and will apply for SMC to do so. The present bridge consists of 2 iron sleepers set with planking. Below it is the remains of a tree trunk bridge on boulder footings. The material into which these are set is dumped, loose and contains much 19th century pottery and the banks have been built out with it. It is not known if this is the original bridging point. The interior area is very overgrown but traces of a building platform can just be made out. A sherd of 11th-12th century pottery was identified. See details on plan in site file. {Source Work 484, 5000.} Large mound on the northern side of St Peter's churchyard, surrounded by ditch which is water filled. At time of visit many of the trees in the central part of the motte mound had been felled. Apart from the trees there is a small disused stone building on the northern side and there are various irregularities in the mound surface, including the ditch and bank mentioned by OS. {Source Works 862, 470.} Over a small area immediately south-west of the outer rim of the ditch around "The Mount" moated site limestone building rubble, larger worked stones and a portion of Roman flue tile were observed. In addition a medieval rim sherd was obtained. {Source Work 1970.} AREA ASSESSMENT :- No plough damage. {Source Work 470.} 2015 - Severn Vale NMP Project. Historic England UI - 115599, NMR - SO 81 SW 7 The earthworks at Haresfield consist of a mound standing nearly 10ft above ground level surrounded by a ditch 18ft wide and 9ft deep. In the centre of the mound is a level platform about 35 yds square and 2.5ft high, and between this and the moat, running parallel to the latter, is a slight ditch and bank, probably originally surmounted by a stockade. (2) Fosbrooke states that the de Bohun's had a castle at Haresfield but this has been ignored or denied by other writers who have erroneously placed the castle at Harescombe (see SO 81 SW 4). "The Mount", Haresfield is undoubtedly a castle mound. The mound is now little more than 1.0m.above the surrounding fields but it has evidently been truncated and ornamented in modern times. The small bank and ditch mentioned by Witts is part of this. The surrounding waterfilled ditch narrows at the NW part where a modern footbridge may be on the site of the original entranceway. The de Bohuns were at Haresfield from soon after the conquest until 1373 and there is a C14th effigy of one in Haresfield church. (3) Surveyed at 1:2500. (4) Resurveyed at 1:2500. (5) The Mount is apparently the site of the medieval moated manor-house of the manor of Haresfield, held after the Conquest by Durand, Sheriff of Gloucester, and later by the de Bohuns. (6) Additional reference. (7) Listed by Cathcart King. (8) A medieval moated site known as The Mount is visible as earthworks on historic aerial photographs and was assessed as part of the Severn Vale NMP project. Due to the density of foliage from the surrounding tree canopies lining both sides of the moat ditch in all aerial photographs viewed, it was not possible to map the enclosing moat for this feature. However, upon the earthwork platform/motte enclosed by the moat there is an L-shaped linear ditch, about 47.5 metres long and up to about 1 metre wide, aligned WNW-ESE/NNE-SSW. On the inside of the L-shaped ditch are two linear sections of earthwork bank between about 1 and 2 metres wide, 19 metres long WNW-ESE and 21 metres long NNE-SSW, with a third parallel bank about 13 metres long NNE-SSW centred on SO 81015 10102. Aerial photographs taken in 2010 indicate that these features appear to remain extant. {Source Works 98, 252, 894, 4249, 6634, 7823, & 13085.} |