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Summary

Kirtling towers is the largest surviving moated site in Cambridgeshire. All that remains of the Tudor manor house is the gatehouse, the rest having been demolished in the early C19th.

Monument Type(s):

• MOAT (Medieval to 19th century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• MOUND (Medieval to 19th century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• POND (Medieval to 19th century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• MANOR HOUSE (Demolished, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• DEER PARK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds:

• TILE (Undated)

Associated Events:

• RCHME survey, Kirtling Towers, 1989
• Watching brief at Place Farm, Kirtling Towers, 1998
• Excavation at Kirtling Tower, 1996
• Evaluation and geophysical survey at Kirtling Towers Moat, 1991-1992

Protected Status:

• Scheduled Monument () 1013140: Moated sites, earthworks and Ponds at Kirtling Towers
• Listed Building (I) 1126291: Kirtling Tower

Full description

1. The moat which surrounds the site of Kirtling Towers is the largest surviving in Cambridgeshire. It is situated in the SE corner of the county at a height of 325ft above sea level. It includes a rectangular area, measuring 470ft by 375ft, which has been levelled, the land on which the site stands sloping away rapidly towards the NE. Owing to this slope the moat is at the bottom of a deep cutting on the W side and is level with the ground on the E. It has been filled up along the S side, and the water no longer fills the W side. Along the N and E sides the water has a width of between 40ft and 60ft. Outside the moat on the W side is a bank which ends in a low mound at the N corner. In the middle of the inclosed area is an ivy covered rectangular mass of fallen brickwork and other building rubbish which covers a space 170ft by 200ft. This is all that remains of the C16th mansion which once stood on the site, with the exception of a gatehouse at the S end which is still inhabited. The whole site is of more than usual interest. It was known as Kirtling Castle as far back as the C13th and was the head of the Barony of Kirtling, which had been the dowry of Adelize, daughter of Earl Waltheof and Judith. In 1309 Robert de Tony died seized of the Manor of Kirtling, which included 'a castle inclosed with ditch and pales'. In 1336 William de al Zouche, hoe married the Tony heiress, held this fortified house (forcelletum) so inclosed. In 1260 three men were carrying a cask of wine across the bridge of Kirtling Castle when the bridge broke. It seems clear, therefore, that at Kirtling there was a small castle of much the same type as at Burwell. The manor was acquired in 1533 by Sir Edward North, who was raised to the peerage as Lord North of Kirtling in 1554 and built the great house already mentioned. Part of the hall was already pulled down before 1752 and in 1801 the rest came down. It is interesting to learn, in view of the Medieval references to the site as having pales, that the late Lord North has stated that black pointed stakes have been found in the bank on the W side of the moat. The county contains at least four example of a type of early Medieval stronghold which does not appear to have been generally recognised elsewhere. These are situated at Burwell, Rampton, Caxton, Bassingbourn and possibly Kirtling. They are rectangular in plan and the chief feature is a wide and deep moat. None has any natural advantage of position and it seems likely that these defences were thrown up round pre-existing dwellings. C13 Henry de Hastings took Kirtling Castle from Robert de Tony. (Assize Roll 83mm 9, 20, 27). C13 The Earl of Gloucester and his mother, recovered Kirtling Castle from the rebel Henry de Hastings. (Assize roll 83mm, 19d, 20d, 27, 29, 29d, 33-33d; Cal Inq Misc i, 194-195).

2. The North family had a big mansion at Kirtling. Most of it was pulled down in 1801 and all that remains is the Gatehouse. But on the strength of its predecessors Oxburgh in Norfolk or Hadleigh in Suffolk and its contemporaries Layer Marney and Leez Priory in Essex, one can assume that the gatehouse was always the dominant motif of the house. It gives the property its current name, Kirtling Tower. The gatehouse dates from 1530 and represents that moment in Tudor architecture when the Middle Ages and the Renaissance met. Red brick with blue brick diapers, former gateway with four centred head. Tall big polygonal outer turrets, more slender inner turrets. Between the outer ones - a sign that defence was no longer the raison d'etre of these gatehouses - a two storeyed semi-circular oriel window squeezed in too tightly between the turrets. Side lights and a transom on each floor, the individual lights all still arched. But the corbelled out underside of the oriel has Italian ornamental motifs. No interior features of special interest are preserved. The house attached on the R to the gatehouse is mid C19 by Hansom.

3. A deer park at Kirtling is mentioned in Domesday Book.

4. Gate tower only remains of old house to which is attached C19th additions. Brick with stone dressings. See Country Life, 69, 102.

5. This should be classified as a fortified site. The mound must be over 15ft high and was presumably part of the early fortifications as well as the site of C16 hall. Early brick rubble was noted and there was much decoratively carved stone, reused as steps to the mound. The house (Kirtling Towers) once the gatehouse is C16, is in very fine condition and inhabited. Partly an informal garden, partly wild. (Very pretty, covered in snowdrops). The moat is very large, as described and must have been often cleaned out. Presumably no threat beyond gardening.

6. Catledge Hall is a curious and venerable mansion belonging to the Earl of Guildford, by whose ancestor, Edward North Esq the manor was purchased c.1530. Though much of its original splendor is departed, it still has sufficient charms to interest the feelings of the antiquary. The building is entirely of brick, with exception of the window-frames and door-cases. It stands on a raised platform, and is nearly surrounded with a deep and broad most, filled with water. The entrance is from a small lawn under a square brick tower with four turrets. Hence a flight of stone steps leads to a paved terrace, which extends to the porch. The great hall is furnished with a music-gallery and screen, and has an oriel window at the upper end. The chapel is decorated with the heads of the 12 apostles, in as many compartments. One of the windows is full of painted glass, finely executed. Several of the apartments are hung with tapestry. In the apartment wherein she (Princess Elizabeth) is reported to have resided when in concealment, was a door that led into an octagon closet in a tower, from which there was an opening to the leads, where she was accustomed to take the air. The bed in this room is of crimson velvet, with a deep gold fringe, and a chair and footstool of the same pattern. An engraving of this mansion from a drawing by the Rev Cooper Willyams, is in the "Topographical Miscellanies," from which work the above account was selected.

7. Kirtling (commonly called Catlige or Catlage) in the hundred of Chevely, and deanery of Fordham, in the diocese of Norwich. In the survey of Domesday it is written Chertelinge. C16 mansion was called Catlage hall. Here the 2nd Lord North entertained Queen Elizabeth in the 21st year of her reign. A tradition, for which we have not found any authority, asserts that it has been one of her prisons in the reign of her sister Mary. A deer park - domesday. There is an engraving of Catlage hall from a drawing made by the Rev Cooper Wyllyams in 1791, in a work entitled Topographical Miscellanies.

8. Kirtling somehow became Catlidge in Tudor times, but has now reverted. The conqueror's niece, Judith, in C11 (1086) had a park here 'for the beasts of the forest'. Moat, the most formidable in the county. Within it, on the castle's platform, was built a great three sided brick Tudor house, perhaps incorporating Norman hall. Behind the gatehouse lies a massive rough grassy mound, the rubble grave of Norman and Tudor buildings. The S front of the Tudor house was approached through the gatehouse and then, very unusually, up a flight of steps to the main entrance. This was flanked by columns dated 1572 and bearing the heraldic dragon-supporters of the Norths- probably the same striking pair guarding the outer gate. Pictures show the house completely dwarfing the gatehouse. In early September 1578, the Queen and court were here for 50 hours. Apart from improvements to the 'banqueting house' and new kitchens, all that was needed was 'trymming upp of chambers', which indicates a very commodious mansion.

9. No gatehouse shown. Three sides of moat shown - all water filled

10. Gatehouse shown and a causeway ? across the moat to the E of the NW corner. Three sides of moat shown - all water filled

11. Four small buildings shown in area enclosed by moat. W arm of moat shown dry. Mound depicted SW of gatehouse.

12. Description of the monument. The monument consists of three separate areas. The first area contains the main moat at Kirtling Tower which is the largest in the county measuring 180m by 150m and is known to occupy the site of a Saxon Castle owned by King Harold. It has three well defined arms to the N, E and W, and at the S end of the moat stands a Tudor gatehouse and attached C19 buildings, all listed Grade I. The moat ditches average 26m in width and vary in depth from 1m to 3.6m and the E section of the moat remains waterlogged. Earthworks of a dam or sluice which maintained the water level in the W ditch can be seen at the NW corner of the moat. A bridge here would have led from the island to a building and to a walkway which remains along the length of the W ditch. On the moat island stands a large house platform measuring 60m by 55m by 6m high. This is the remains of a Tudor mansion built c1530 for Lord North, and it is recorded that Queen Elizabeth I visited the house in 1578. The house was demolished in 1801, but substantial remains of footings and cellars can be clearly identified on the platform. Linear features radiating from the edge of the house platform denote the site of stepped ornamental flower beds. Terraces, ditches and ponds to the E of the moat are further remains of the water management system. A water outlet ran E to ponds through these earthworks, possibly in the form of a cascade. Earthworks representing a hollow way leading towards the SE corner of the moated site are also included in this area.
The second area of the monument lies about 110m SE of the gatehouse and consists of a second small moat measuring 75m by 75m. This was an integral part of the original layout of the site and enclosed buildings, possibly stables.
The third area consists of an impressive ornamental earthwork running for 270m through parkland, which was added in the early C17, providing a formal approach to the Tudor gatehouse, house and moat. The Kirtling tower site is a large well-preserved and complex monument, reflecting the high status of the site in the Tudor period. It exhibits a diverse range of features, including the rare survival of earthwork remains of an ornamental garden. Importantly it is known to lie on the site of a Saxon Castle, archaeological remains of which are likely to survive beneath the present site.

13. An excavation carried was carried out in 1991 by CAU before reduction in the bank on the W side of the moat. Traces of Tudor upcast from the moat and a revetment bank with plank brace were revealed. There was no evidence to suggest a pre-Tudor phase associated with moat construction.

14. In 1996 a wall in the south-west corner of Kirtling mound was examined. The wall had two faces and was part of an independent structure from the mound. The stratigraphy suggests a pre 18th century date and it is likely the wall was Tudor and part of the walled gardens.

15. A watching brief at the site (1998), which is immediately adjacent to the moated site of Kirtling Towers, found a surface, probably from an earlier building next to the existing barn. No further features were revealed.

16.TL 68675744 site of former house and formal gardens of Kirtling Hall. The site of Kirtling Hall is marked by a substantial platform which tapers toward the south, measuring c35m square on the top, and up to 6m in height. It is situated on a larger 'island' surrounded by a massive moat on its N, W and E sides. The area between the site of the house and the moat displays earthwork evidence of former garden terraces and compartments although their date is uncertain. The size, form and detailing of the moat make it probable that it represents an ornamental creation dating from the 16th century construction of the North's mansion rather than being a defensive moat (as alleged by Authority 5) or an adaptation of an existing moated enclosure. There is no indication that the moat was enclosed by a fourth arm along its south side. Outside the moat, there are numberous earthworks representing possible former ornamental features, including a sequence of elaborate approaches to the site, although the continuity of occupation makes precise interpretation of some of these difficult. Moat-like earthworks to the SE of the site of the former hall possibly represent a predecessor of Place Farm.

The above description is summarised from a detailed level 3 RCHME survey conducted in February 1989. It was recorded at a scale of 1:1000 and the results of the survey have been deposited in the NMR. A second monument was recorded during this survey (TL 65 NE 14) comprising a pond bay which may have been associated with the gardens at Kirtling Hall.

17. Further investigations in 1991-2 found evidence from the Roman, Saxo-Norman, Tudor and later Post-Medieval periods. These included a double timber revetted bank inside the moat, as well as the remains of Tudor garden walls. Geophysical survey found the pattern of the Tudor garden and the position and dimensions of the walls of the original house.

18. Scheduled Monument Consent granted for construction of garage.

20 The 16th century gatehouse, at TL 6868 5742, is outstanding and forms an integral part of the modern Kirtling Towers, see ground photographs.

The extant earthworks comprise a central raised platform of maximum height 6.4 m with overall dimensions of 59.0 m E/W and 68.0 m N/S. A large depression with a maximum depth of 2.1 m indicates the cellars of the original hall. A 19th century ice house stands to the north and a heavy scatter of early brick occupies the platform. A major defensive moat surrounds three sides of the hall site to the north, northeast and west but cannot be traced to the south in an area occupied by formal gardens. The external arms hold occasional water and attain a maximum width of 28.0 m and a maximum depth of 3.6 m. An outer counterscarp can be traced in places having a maximum height of 1.5 m. No original inlet is visible but the outlet was probably centred in the eastern arm. No original causeway is evident. Resurvey on 1:2500 AM.

It would seem probable that the defensive earthworks were originally contemporary with the "castle" noted in the 13th century, being later incorporated within the precincts of the 16th century Hall. Certainly their present stature indicates a major defensive role; similarly the construction of the rectangular building platform (even now over 6.0 m high) suggests an original date in the period when a motte was a fairly regular feature of the landscape

21. Kirtling Towers, built around 1530. The house itself pulled down c1801. [Further details included]

<1> Salzman, L.F (ed), 1948, The Victoria County History of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. Volume 2, 33-34 (Bibliographic reference). SCB14649.

<2> Pevsner, N., 1954, The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire, 1970, 420 (Bibliographic reference). SCB17744.

<3> Darby, H. C., 1977, Medieval Cambridgeshire, p. 15 (Bibliographic reference). SCB16813.

<4> DOE, June 1949, DOE (HHR) Newmarket RD, ref 32/4 (Unpublished document). SCB5135.

<5> Fieldwork Notes (Unpublished document). SCB16815.

<6> Brayley, E.W. and Britton J., 1806, A Topographical and Historical Description of the county of Cambridgeshire, p. 136-138 (ill) (Bibliographic reference). SCB16816.

<7> Lysons, D. & S., 1808, Magna Britannia Vol. II. Part I. Containing Cambridgeshire, p. 223-224 (Bibliographic reference). SCB16817.

<8> Scarfe, N., 1983, Cambridgeshire: A Shell Guide, p.153-156 (Bibliographic reference). SCB16818.

<9> 1815, Inclosure map (Map). SCB16819.

<10> 1816-1819, Map (Map). SCB16820.

<11> 1886, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 map (Map). SCB16821.

<12> Monument Number 13608 (formerly 276) (Scheduling record). SCB16822.

<13> Boast, R., 1991, Archaeological Investigations at Kirtling Towers Moat. An Interim Report (Unpublished report). SCB16823.

<14> Dickens, A., 1996, Archaeological Investigation of a wall in the mound at Kirtling Tower, Cambridgeshire (Unpublished report). SCB16824.

<15> Damant, S., 1998, An Archaeological Recording Brief at Place Farm, Kirtling Towers, Kirtling (Unpublished report). SCB17153.

<16> RCHME (no named author), 1989, Kirtling Towers, Cambridgeshire. Archaeological Survey Report. NMR no: TL 65 NE 3 (Unpublished report). SCB17154.

<17> Miller, J., 1992, Archaeological investigations at Kirtling Towers, Cambridgeshire (Unpublished report). SCB17155.

<18> Scheduled Monument Consent documentation, HSD 9/2/4921 (Scheduling record). SCB18066.

<19> Taylor, A., Castles of Cambridgeshire (Bibliographic reference). SCB19242.

<20> RSC, 1978, Field Investigator Comments, 1/2/78 (Verbal communication). SCB60595.

<21> Taylor, C., 1973, The Cambridgeshire Landscape: Cambridgeshire and the Southern Fens (Bibliographic reference). SCB14337.

<22> Cathcart King, D.J., Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands. Volume I : Anglesey - Montgomery (Bibliographic reference). SCB61251.

Sources and further reading

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