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Summary

Brick chapel & gatehouse of medieval magnate's residence, with associated garden earthworks

Full Description

The remains of a fifteenth century manor house with gatehouse, chapel and 16th to 17th century formal gardens. The name is derived from William de Someries, whose residence was on the site in the 13th century; its exact location is not known. The surviving earthworks were at one time thought to be the remains of a 13th century moated site but are now known to be the formal garden. The estate was acquired by Lord Wenlock in the 1430s and built the house, gatehouse and chapel. After his death the esate passed to Thomas Rotheram, Bishop of Lincoln and later Archabishop of York. The house was never finished, though an invenetory (now lost) of 1606 lists 20 rooms in use, including a smith's workshop. A document of 1616 records "the great dovehouse" and the Hearth tax returns for 1671 record 23 hearths or chimneys. Much of the building was demolished in 1742.

The upstanding remains include the gatehouse and chapel which formed the north west wing of the magnate's residence. The walls survive to almost full height (approx 10m). The gatehouse has two semi-octagonal bastions either side of the entrance passage, which would have led into an enclosed courtyard. The chapel measures 16m by 5m and has a large perpendicular window opening in the gable. The area of the main residence is defined by a raised platform containing low, irregular earthworks to the north east of the garden earthworks. In the north east corner of the site, traces of a substantial brick wall can be seen.

The formal garden remains are represented by a rectangular earthwork measuring up to 100m long by 80m wide. A square mound, 40m by 40m, is placed centrally in the earthwork and stands approx 1m above the surrounding area. A slight bank forms a border aroung the edge of the mound, and the mound is quartered by two 2.5m wide raised walkways which indicate the positions of ornamental flowerbeds. The borders and paths are less than 0.2m high. The area around the mound is level and extends approx 18m to the north east and south west, and 8m to the north west and south east. The level area is surrounded by a flat-topped bank averaging 6m wide, widest at the corners and the north east side. The top of the bank is approx 1m above the internal level area and 1.5m above the base of an external ditch. The ditch is approx 4m wide, apart from along the north eastern arm where it is up to 8m wide. A further low bank runs around the outside edge of the ditch, approx 3m wide and 0.3-0.4m high. In the north west side is a 10m wide ramped causeway leading into the garden. The north east side of the earthworks faces the site of the house, thus are larger and more impressive.

A small excavation in 1969 examined the earthworks, and found a band of stones lining the bottom of the ditch. Pottery of 13th to 16th century date was recovered.

Protected Status:

• Scheduled Monument 20458: Someries Castle: a medieval magnate's residence and formal garden remains
• SHINE: Someries Castle

Monument Types

• BUILDING (15th Century - 1400 AD to 1499 AD)
• CHAPEL (15th Century - 1400 AD to 1499 AD)
• GATEHOUSE (15th Century - 1400 AD to 1499 AD)
• MANOR HOUSE (15th Century - 1400 AD to 1499 AD)
• FORMAL GARDEN (16th Century to 17th Century - 1500 AD to 1699 AD)
• BLACKSMITHS WORKSHOP (17th Century - 1600 AD to 1699 AD)
• DOVECOTE (17th Century - 1600 AD to 1699 AD)

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• EBD338 - Someries Castle, Hyde, Bedfordshire (Ref: J2126)

Sources and Further Reading

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.