Monument Type(s):

• DOWER HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• PRIESTS HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Summary

This site represents: a priests house of medieval date, a dower house of medieval date.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA5085 - 1998 WB on mains and drainage installation in the church and churchyard

Description

Prior to 1332 a dower house existed on the medieval manor, close to the church. About 1331/1332 when William de Ercalewe endowed a chantry he also gave the dower house 'at the bottom of his garden near to the church' to the six chaplains; an adjoining croft and aldecroft are also mentioned in the document relating to that gift. While it is difficult to pinpoint the precise location of this building, it is highly likely that it lies somewhere on the eastern side of the manorial complex <1><2>

CMHTS Comment:- The exact location of this building is not known <3>
CMHTS Report <4>

A watching brief on water mains and drainage works in the churchyard in 1998 revealed the remains of three parallel walls running southeast-northwest and forming part of a probably medieval building of some significance. The report tentatively identified this building as the dower house. Both the north and south walls of the building were identified, so that its width could be established as 11 metres: it is estimated that it would have been at least 20 metres in length. There was also a somewhat narrower central wall, which may have been either a dividing wall or the plinth for an internal arcade. The southern and central walls survived above foundation level and could be seen to be constructed of faced sandstone blocks, bonded with a gritty buff mortar. The northern wall survived only to foundation level: that, and the occurrence of natural subsoil adjacent to it, showed that the ground level formerly sloped southwest significantly more than it now does. Although there were no medieval finds associated with the building, details of the fabric and construction appeared to place it in that period. The walls were butted and partially overlain by the truncated remains of demolition deposits, which again contained relatively few finds. The presence of 17th century bricks, however, suggests that this is when the building was demolished. For more details, see the watching brief report <5>

<01> Ferris Iain & Litherland Steve J, 1991, Archaeological work at Ercall Hall, High Ercall, Shropshire, in 1991 (Archaeological fieldwork report). SSA674.

<02> Hill M C, 1984, The Desmesne and the Waste, p18 (Article in serial). SSA9190.

<03> Buteux Victoria, 1993/ 1996, CMHTS SMR Records Shropshire: Ellesmere and High Ercall, High Ercall 5594 (Record form). SSA19967.

<04> Buteux Victoria et al, 1996, Archaeological Assessment of High Ercall, Shropshire (CMHTS) (Historic landscape survey report). SSA12071.

<05> Hannaford Hugh R, 1998, A watching brief at St Michael and All Angels' Church, High Ercall, Wrekin (Watching brief report). SSA21072.

Sources

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