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Designations

• Scheduled Monument 1006367: Greys Court: Castle Walls, Towers and Well house

Monument Type(s):

• CURTAIN WALL (Built c. mid C14, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (between))
• TOWER (Built c. mid C14, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD (between))
• WELL HOUSE (Built, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD (once between))

Summary

Site consists of sections of castle walls and three towers, as well as the flint walls of another medieval structure and an Elizabethan well-house

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds:

Description

Part of the curtain wall and two rectangular towers of a small castle of mid-fourteenth century. One tower (A) is set obliquely at the N angle, the other tower (B) is in the middle of the NE side. A third tower (C) is octagonal and its SE corner is incorporated in a cottage of ?early C17 date. Traces of buildings abutting on the curtain wall perhaps remain underground. The top storey of tower B is a later addtition of flint and brick, the main castle buildings being of flint with ashlar quoins. A brick fireplace of C16 inserted in the curtain wall shows that part continued in use up to that period, but in Elizabeth's reign the present house was built. Adjacent to the S end of the house is the Elizabethan well-house with donkey-wheel still complete. To the E of tower C are two walls of a flint building with brick buttresses, having three-light traceried windows between the buttresses. A gardener's shed is built against the main wall of this
(1) See for location of archaeological work programmes.
Clippings removed from DRF to be archived at Oxfordshire history Centre.
(2) See for report of parch marks thought to be buildings that postdate the rebuilding of the house; rec'd resistivity survey for further examination.
(3) Excavation of this cable's trench has underscored the complexity of the late Medieval buildings, and the continued need for future interpretation and investigation.
(4) Excavation proved to be destructive of stratigraphy, but it did provide opportunity to explore archaeologica potential of site. Emphasis should be against further disturbance.
(5) Recommended that excavation should be performed to confirm geophys results.
(6) Brief archaeological survey designed to complement architectural survey being carried out by EH. See report for details.
(7) Designed to investigated subsidence in raised lawn; resulted from decompositon of tree.
(8) Limited interpretation possible as building works were unobtrusive. Discarded.
(9) The National Trust, in process of re-interpreting this important late medieval manor house, asked the OCCM to carry out field investigations during 1983. A photographic survey was made of the surviving walls and towers of the medieval enceinte, and Bradford University School of Archaeological Sciences carried out a resistivity survey of the central courtyard in an attempt to locate early buildings
16 - 17) Transferred to Oxon History Centre.
18) Earliest section of roof dates to ca 1450-51 and forms part of jettied timber-framed building that partially survives in core of present building. Timbers of main east range were felled between 1573-5, suggesting earliest date for completion of E range and main part of building to be c1575. Involvement of T Roberts of Oxford virtually confirmed
19) Recording action undertaken in 2001 in advance of a programme of consolidation work on the curtain wall
(SAM 28). The work included recording of a stone seat and loose masonry against the south-west wall of the North Tower; removing rubble within the North Tower; recording an area of brick and stone paving adjoining the wall and a short stretch of wall at 90 degrees to the curtain wall
21) A watching brief undertaken in 1994 whilst a trench for a telephone cable was cut just below the bottom of the lawn facing the house revealed the remains of a brick and flint wall aligned east-west between the Dower House and the west wall of the gardens. This is thought to relate to a C16th building which was formerly an extension of the building known as the Cromwellian Stables

<1> Additional Information in Detailed Record File, Map of Areas designated for archaeological investigation (Index). SOX258.

<2> Gary Marshall, 1994, Additional Notes on the parch marks on the main lawn at Greys Court (report no.Greys/1) (Unpublished document). SOX1103.

<3> Gary Marshall, 1994, An archaeological watching brief on a telephone cable trench as the south end of the main lawn (report no. Greys/2) (Unpublished document). SOX1104.

<4> Gary Marshall, 1997, An archaeological watching brief over a trench for a water main on the west side fo the main lawn (report no Greys/3) (Unpublished document). SOX1105.

<5> National Trust, 1983, A Resistivity Survey at Greys Court, Oxfordshire (Unpublished document). SOX1106.

<7> National Trust, 1989, Report on Excavations at Greys Court, Oxfordshire 1988 (Unpublished document). SOX1108.

<8> National Trust, 2001, Greys Court, Rotherfield Greys, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire: Archaeological Recording Action Report (Unpublished document). SOX1111.

<9> CBA South Midlands Group, South Midlands Archaeology, CBA9 NL 14 (1984) p.70 (Serial). SOX5.

<10> OS Record Card, SU 78 SW 20 (Index). SOX273.

<11> NMR Monument - Long Listing Filed in Detailed Record File, SU 78 SW 20 (Index). SOX391.

<12> Country Life, Vol 95 (June 1944) pp.1080-3, 1124-7; (April 1989) pp.198-201 (see DRF) (Article in serial). SOX267.

<13> Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1974, The Buildings of England - Oxfordshire, p.735 (Bibliographic reference). SOX380.

<14> Field Notes/Field Visit, K Ray, J Campbell (1989). See report in DRF (Unpublished document). SOX261.

<15> Additional Information in Detailed Record File, Booklet: 'Greys Court' (1970), plans of site complex and notes (Index). SOX258.

<16> Photographic Archive, 2 photographs of original water colours from 1715 and 1760 and 2 other old illustrations (undated) (Photograph). SOX304.

<17> Black and White print photographs, 17 external and internal features taken by J M Steane (1983) (Photograph). SOX315.

<18> CBA South Midlands Group, South Midlands Archaeology, vol 37 (2007), p34 (Serial). SOX5.

<19> CBA South Midlands Group, South Midlands Archaeology, Vol 32 (2002) p.55 (Serial). SOX5.

<20> CBA South Midlands Group, South Midlands Archaeology, Vol 28 (1998) p.63 (Serial). SOX5.

<21> CBA South Midlands Group, South Midlands Archaeology, Vol 26 (1996) p.51 (Serial). SOX5.

Sources

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