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Monument Types

• LODGE (MEDIEVAL - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MOAT (MEDIEVAL - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PRISON (MEDIEVAL - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Events

• Watching Brief in 1998, Football Ground On Site of Royal Hunting Lodge, Feckenham (Ref: WSM27146)
• Watching Brief in 2003, Play Area, Feckenham Moated Site, Feckenham (Ref: WSM31649)
• Evaluation in 2020 on Land off Mill Lane, Feckenham (Ref: WSM73344)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument
• Historic Environment Flood Risk Assessment (NHPP)

Full description

"An oval work called Court Close or Bennett's Bower, is of greater strength than the usual homestead moat type & contains 3 acres. The eastern half has been much cut about & altered, but the western defences are in good condition and comprise a double bank and ditch. On the south side there is this peculiarity: that the outer bank is higher & has kind of interior berm. The inner area, which is level, shows considerable traces of foundations, evidently those of buildings connected with the prison which stood here and which was used for offenders committed from the forest courts." [1].

"... near [the church] is the site of the old prison, formerly known as Bennett's Bower, which consists of about 4 acres of land surrounded by a ditch and was formerly used for the punishment of offenders in the forest. In the 16th century the manorial courts were held in upper part of prison. It was evidently allowed to fall into decay after the forest was disafforestated in 1629, and in the time of Charles II the ground it had occupied was used for tobacco, which grew very well 'till the planting of it was prohibited by Act of Parliament." [2], [3].

Manorial History: Feckenham...given by Ethelric son of Ethemund to Woerferth for life in 804 with reversion to the Church of Worcester. Must have been a place of considerable size and importance in the reign of Edward the Confessor, when it was held of Eadwine, Earl of Mercia, by five thegns who could "betake themselves with their land where they would" and had under them four knights "as free as themselves". 1086 Domesday "manor belonged to the King in 1086 and remained a royal possession, subject to various grants for several centuries, probably on account of its position in the [royal] forest to which it gave its name. Owing to its position in the forest, Feckenham was visited by all the early Kings of England, who had a lodge in the park. There are several entries in Pipe Rolls and Patent Rolls relating to the repair of the King's houses in the manor. The manor house was apparently not rebuilt after its demolition in 1356, for when the manor was granted in 1558 to Sir John Throckmorton he complained of being `forced to wander up and down like an Egyptian in other men's houses for want of one of my own." [2]

Large multi-banked enclosure representing the manorial site of Feckenham manor and the site of court proceedings associated with Feckenham Forest. Moat and banks well-preserved on southern and western sides but few surface signs within the enclosure (now a levelled sports ground). Hall probably had a private chapel. Manor house repaired 1355 but demolished by the Abbot of Evesham who carried away the materials. In the 16th century a court house was maintained on the site, with a prison for forest offenders below. [5]

An elliptical area (axes 250' x 500') enclosed by a double bank and ditch, with a deeper moat on the north. Ditches levelled at eastern end but very clear for the rest of the circuit. Raised platform in middle of northern half, probably site of hall, etc. Traces of other buildings in south-east sector. Main survivng entrance in middle of northern entrenchment, modern breach in north-west corner. Trial put in platform reveals remains for a late 13th century royal occupation from 12th century at least to mid-14th century. Partial collapse of hall by 1343, materials later sold to Abbot of Evesham for demolition. Continued later as meeting place for the forest courts. Rebuilding in stone under Henry III - traces found. Previous buildings probably of wood. Condition of earthworks good except in eastern par. Site unencumbered. [6]

Enclosure laid out as football pitch. Approached at most easterly point from village. Around north-east quadrant ground falls away to lane with houses etc intervening. Inside a path leads round to an asbestos changing room in course of reconstruction in brickwork (1985) alongside what appears to be the partly filled in original entrance at centre of north side. The path continues round behind the pitch to a tarmac area 20' x 30' with childrens' swings etc. No raised platform on the north side visible - the interior being mainly flat except towards the south east. Double bank and ditches clearly visible around north-west quadrant. Exit at west to pasture fields. Around the south-west quadrant the two bank/ditch systems part company leaving a wide berm before the inner system disappears and the outer declines to a simple ditch at south-east junction with village development. [7]

In 1998 a watching brief was undertaken during the removal of a football crowd barrier. No pre 20th century deposits were observed (WSM 27146). [10]

Trial trenching and a geophysical survey was undertaken just to the south east of the monument in 1999 (WSM 27992 and WSM 30096). No evidence relating to the Hunting Lodge was recovered. Watching brief undertaken on land at Mill Lane, adjacent to the north (WSM 29610). [9]

Plans for new sports field contains sections across earthworks [13].

See also [12][14][15]

Moat identified from cartographic sources and LiDAR imagery. The earthworks are under dense tree cover and outlined on the modern OS map. There could be some potential for remaining environmental deposits within this vicinity, however this is unknown.[16][17][18][19]

Doharty's 1744 copy of Blagrave's 1591 map of Feckenham shows a house/building standing within the moat, labelled Court House and included in the 'Lords demean lands' on the terrier.[20]

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken on land south of Mill Lane in 2020 prior to a residential development. The single trench was positioned across the moat of Feckenham Courthouse and revealed the survival of moat deposits. Augering showed that the moat exceeds 2m in depth and was intentionally backfilled during the late 17th to 18th century. Building rubble within the moat backfill, alongside artefactual evidence, suggests that the manor was intentionally and fairly rapidly abandoned and demolished. Waterlogged deposits and earlier activity may survive within the base of the moat. [21]

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 9th April 2019 licensed under the Open Government Licence: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ [22]

There are two claimants to the site of the royal fishponds at Fakenham, namely a small moated pond North of the King's House at SP007616, and a complex of ponds comprising a massive dam, secondary bank, and a group of earthworks suggesting breeding tanks, at SO965614. The latter seems to be the subject of numerous references from its creation in 1168-9 until ca.1400. The main use of the ponds appears to be stock-breeding for other people's ponds, especially bream and pike.(Md Fish, Fisheries and Fishponds in Eng: BAR 182 1988 (M Aston & C J Bond) 55-6, 437-42, map, Brit Archaeol Rep 182 (ii) Medieval Fish, Fisheries and Fishponds in England 1988 442 illust. (M Aston ed.) ][22]

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 9th April 2019 licensed under the Open Government Licence: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ [23]

These earthworks are almost certainly connected with the Royal Manor House/Hunting Lodge of Feckenham the administrative headquarters of Feckenham Forest, and with a Court House and Prison for offenders against the forest laws, which was evidently associated with it and survived it. The King's buildings at Feckenham are first mentioned in 1162, the hall being at first of timber and then (about 1244) of stone. There was a palisade around them, and a chapel, a mill and a fishpond are also referred to, and the establishment was evidently of some consequence. The buildings were in good order in 1223 but by 1356 they had become so ruined that they were sold for demolition and the surviving stone walls finally pulled down, temp. Richard II, to provide material for the repair of "the Park Keeper's Cottage" The earthworks are called "Court Close" or "Bennett's Bower" but the latter seems to be applied specifically to the Prison. [The history of the King's Works, volume 2 : the Middle Ages 1963 R Allen Brown, H M Colvin and A J Taylor 937-8][22]

The Prison is first mentioned in the late 13th century and must have been quite a substantial structure as in the 16th century the manorial courts were held in its upper floors. The Courthouse and Prison was evidently allowed to decay after the disafforestation in 1629, but the Keeper's Residence and the Jail (presumably distinct from the Prison) are said (apparently) to have been in existence c 1919. [Birmingham and Midland Institute, Birmingham Archaeological Society transactions, excursions and reports Index to vols.1 to 41 (1870-1915). Continued as: Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society transactions, 117, 45 (1914)][22]

The earthwork known locally as Court Close, is as described by Montgomerie with the exception that the interior has been levelled to form a playing field and any traces of building foundations have now been destroyed. Nothing was found when the area was levelled. Published survey (25") revised.[Field Investigators Comments: F1 DRB 12-JUL-71][22]

The National Record of the Historic Environment entry for this record also referenced the following event: 1184786 Watching Brief MILL LANE FOUL SEWER
1338248 Evaluation ROYAL HUNTING LODGE, FECKENHAM
1444160 Watching Brief FECKENHAM MANORIAL MOAT [22]

Sources and further reading

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