Monument Type(s):

• FISHPOND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• MOATED SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• RIDGE AND FURROW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• WATERMILL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Summary

Scheduled Monument: One of the most substantial high status medieval moated sites in Shropshire, Langley Hall Moat is both well-documented and well-preserved, containing the archaeological remains of medieval and post medieval buildings, fishponds and two water mill sites.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA1179 - 1973 field observation by English Heritage
• ESA1180 - 1979 field observation by English Heritage
• ESA1181 - 1981 field observation by Shropshire County Council
• ESA1182 - 1982 field observation by English Heritage
• ESA1183 - 1986 field observation by English Heritage
• ESA3385 - 1991 Archaeological porosity test pits at Langley Gatehouse by SCCAS
• ESA5628 - 1992 Excavations in connection with renovation at Langley Gatehouse by SCCAS
• ESA5682 - 1987 Structural survey and excavations at Langley Gatehouse, Shropshire by BUFAU
• ESA8280 - 2017 WB on mains renewal at Langley Hall by Border Archaeology

Description

Langley Hall, with Gatehouse and surrounded by a moat was probably built in the early 16th century. It was demolished in the late 19th century when the present Langley Hall was built. The detached Gatehouse, now in ruinous condition survives. An embattled wall running northwards from the gatehouse was slighted in 1961. Grade II*. <1>

SJ 54000020 Only the gatehouse now remains of Langley Hall, the position of the embattled wall could not be ascertained.
A broad bank to the southeast of the Hall indicates the line of the moat but it has been destroyed on the other three sides. To the north east of the gatehouse are two fishponds presumably originally fed by the stream further to the north east, they are now dry. At SJ 54260026 is a bank and other integral earthworks which would appear to be a pond-bay with the site of a mill on its downstream side. They are apparently contemporary with the fishponds and Langley Hall. <1d>

Series of earthworks marking fishponds, moat and defensive banks for Langley Hall <3>

Langley Hall, SA 4504, was demolished in the late C19. Remains of extensive moat <1b>
No trace of the original Hall (viz Langley Hall, SA 4504) remains, except the large square moat , and the gatehouse (SA 13376) <1a>

Evaluated for MPP in 1990-1, Medium score as one of 133 Moated Sites <7>

In December 1996 the Scheduling of the County Monument number 334, formerly known as "Earthworks at Langley Hall" was revised. It was amalgamated with Langley Chapel [PRN 00292] and also now explicitly included the site of Langley Hall, [PRN 04504]. Relevant parts of Scheduling Description:->

-> The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of the late medieval to early post medieval moated site of Langley Hall, and its associated fishponds and water mill sites. The monument also includes the standing remains of Langley Chapel which are contained within a second area. The monument is situated in a south west-north east valley, on the north bank of a tributary stream of the Coundmoor Brook, which joins the River Severn some 7km to the NNE. ->

-> The site of the now demolished hall [PRN 04504] occupies a roughly square platform which was originally surrounded by water on all sides. The south west and north west arms of the moat lay against the natural slope of the valley, while the north east arm took the form of two substantial ponds, with further ponds flanking the south east arm of the moat which was retained by an earthen bank. The water supplying the moat and ponds was additionally managed to power mills, and the remains of two water mills are included in the scheduling. The hall's detached gatehouse [PRN 13376], which is Listed Grade II*, stands to the south west of the site of the hall. It is in use and is not included in the scheduling .. ->

-> The manor of Langley is mentioned in Domesday, when it was under the overlordship of Roger of Shrewsbury. In 1212 it was owned by William Burnell, a member of the family which gave its name to Acton Burnell, whose moated 'castle' is situated in the adjacent valley some 2km to the NNW and is the subject of a separate scheduling [SM27531] .. In 1377 Langley manor passed by marriage to the Lee family .. And in 1591 Humphrey Lee made Langley Hall his main seat .. [see PRN 04050] .. The moated platform on which Langley Hall stood measured approximately 90m square. Its north west quarter is now separated on the surface from the remainder of the site by the Ruckley to Hughley road, however, archaeological remains will survive as buried features below the road surface. The gatehouse stands in the southern half of the platform, and elsewhere the remains of the house and its ancillary structures will survive as buried features. ->

-> Excavations carried out in the 1990s revealed that significant archaeological deposits relating to the occupation of the site from the medieval period onwards remain, including foundations and occupation deposits in the area of the hall's courtyard. The foundations of a curtain wall were also revealed along the northern limit of the medieval courtyard, and the western stretch of this is incorporated within the gatehouse. The north west corner of the platform is defined by a low scarp north of the road, which fades out further north east. The moat along the north west side of the platform was retained by the natural valley slope, and a low earthen bank marks the north eastward extent of the platform, while some 60m further north a field boundary has been planted along a broad low bank, c.10m wide, which retained the moat in this quarter. The exact relationship of this part of the site with the main area has been obscured by the construction of the road, south of which the north east edge of the platform is defined by two fishponds which survive as clearly visible earthwork hollows. The larger pond is L-shaped and is 80m north west-south east, with a width of 28m where it flanks the north east side of the moated platform, widening to 50m further south where it turns south west to enclose the south east corner of the platform. A straight earthen bank along it's north east side, roughly 10m wide, divides this from the second pond, which is triangular in plan and measures 70m north west-south east by up to20m wide. Both ponds would originally have extended across the area now overlain by the road. The bank which forms the south east edge of the larger pond continues south westwards to define the south east edge of the moat, and survives up to 1.5m high, reducing in height where the valley rises to the south west. A small linear pond, partly stone lined, has been inserted at a corner of the L-shaped pond, and the remains a break in the moat's retaining bank. The south western extent of the bank, and the south west arm of the moat, have been modified by the construction of farm buildings, however the remains of a causeway which would have crossed the moat at right angles can be seen extending south westwards from the farmyard, and would originally have led between the gatehouse and the chapel. The latest of several centuries of cobbled surfaces remains along much of the causeway. ->

-> The stream which supplied the site now runs through straightened field drains across the north west arm of the moat, running under the road close to the north end of the triangular fishpond. It then runs south eastwards through an artificially straightened channel parallel to the north east edge of the pond. Some 15m south east of the pond the stream is flanked by two substantial earthen banks, up to 7m wide and 30m long, and c.1.5m high. These banks preserve the buried remains of a watermill which would have occupied this site, powered by the straightened watercourse which joins the main stream some 50m to the south east. Downstream of this junction the watercourse has again been artificially straightened, and runs along the north side of a substantial, roughly oval, millpond which measures roughly 80m north-west/ south-east by 65m south-west/ north-east. The north east side of the pond was retained by an earthen bank which has been incorporated into a later field boundary and stands up to 1.5m high. The south east side of the pond is visible as a low scarp which turns north west around the pond's south east quarter before fading out. The earthwork and buried remains of the mill supplied by this pond remain substantial earthen banks which flank the watercourse downstream, and as earthworks in the angle of the stream and pond bay. ->

-> Flanking the south east arm of the moat are a further three fishponds, defined very low banks c.lm wide. Against the moat's retaining bank is a linear pond, c.10m wide, the south west end of which has been modified by subsequent activity, as has the end of the moat bank itself. Towards the north east end of the pond are two rectangular fishponds, both 28m north west-south east by 11m transversely, which share its south east side and are connected by the remains of a sluice visible as a break in the south end of their dividing hank. An outflow channel at the north east corner of the system is connected to the stream via a clear leat which runs north eastwards and fades just south of the first mill site. Both the fishponds and the mills would have contributed to the economic strength of the manorial settlement, and the impression of self-sufficiency is strengthened by the evidence of medieval pIoughing, linear earthworks known as ridge and furrow, which can be seen in the field to the north east of the moated site. A sample of the ridge and furrow is included in the scheduling to illustrate the range of activities which took place at the monument …. ->

->The 18th century and modern domestic and agricultural buildings of Langley Hall Farm and its gardens and farmyard walls, Langley Hall gatehouse, all fences across the monument, the modern road surface and the modern surfaces of the farmyard, are all excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath all these features is included. <7>

Structural survey and excavation carried out at Langley in 1987 by BUFAU in conjunction with plans to develop the derelict gatehouse on the site of Langley Hall. The site of Langley Hall lies approximately 1 mile to the south east of Acton Burnell and lies in the civil parish of Ruckley and Langley. The derelict gatehouse [PRN 13376] is all that survives of the Langley Hall complex [PRN 04504]. It stands amongst the barns and sheds of a working farm, a Victorian farmhouse and the earthworks of the moat that once surrounded the complex. The structural survey concluded that a mid to late 15th century timber-framed gatehouse or keeper’s lodge was added to a possibly late 13th or 14th century sandstone curtain wall. <10>

Archaeological excavation of porosity test pits in the vicinity of the site of Langley Hall and its gatehouse in conjunction with proposals to install soakaways on the site carried out in 1991. Pit A and B demonstrate significant archaeological deposits survived possibly relating to the demolished Hall and its associated features at some points as little as 0.1 m below ground level. <11>

Structural survey and photographic survey carried out at Langley in 1992 in conjunction with a programme of repairs and development by the Landmark Trust for the derelict gatehouse on the site of Langley Hall. <12>

Archaeological excavation carried out by SCCAS in 1992, in conjunction with a programme of repairs and development by the Landmark Trust for the derelict gatehouse on the site of Langley Hall. The excavations demonstrated that features and deposits relating to the occupation of the site from the early medieval period onwards did survive, despite more recent quarrying and landscaping of the site. They included foundation remains of part of the hall building, together with associated occupation deposits within the area of its courtyard. The northern limit of the medieval courtyard was marked by the foundations of the curtain wall, the western stretch of which survives incorporated within the gatehouse. Beyond the northern curtain wall a moat could be traced. <13>

Archaeological watching brief carried out by SCCAS in 1993, in conjunction with a programme of repairs and development by the Landmark Trust for the derelict gatehouse on the site of Langley Hall. The only significant deposits identified were two yard surfaces outside the east face of the north cell of the gatehouse. Both of them had been noted and recorded during earlier SCCAS monitoring of the site. <14>

Photographed during aerial survey in 2007. <15><16>

A programme of archaeological observation of groundworks was undertaken relating to the AMP6 2nd Batch Mains Renewal: Langley to Broome pipeline scheme located at Langley Hall near Acton Burnell, Shropshire. ->

-> The existing main within the road was abandoned and the pipe rerouted through the field to the north, a route selected to minimize impact on the Scheduled earthwork and buried remains of the late medieval to early post-medieval moated site of Langley Hall and Langley Chapel (NHLE no. 1015285). Service pipes and stop-taps were, however, replaced within the Scheduled Area. No features or deposits of archaeological significance were present. The northern portion of the site, where the main bypassed the Scheduled Area, was steeply sloping, with heavily waterlogged conditions suggesting a catchment for water draining into the stream in the valley. A number of springs were clearly visible on the hillside. The field was under pasture and it seems likely that in the past, as now, it was not considered suitable for cultivation. <17>

Sources

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