Monument Number 80087 |
| Hob Uid: 80087 | |
Location :
North Yorkshire
Scarborough
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : TA0410088800 |
| Summary : 'New Borough' town ditch and wall . Murage grants were obtained in 1225, 1308 and throughout the 14th century and according to tradition the northern part was walled by Richard 111. The defences were strengthened in 1745 at the time of the young pretender's rising when the ditch was cleaned out and several batteries erected along its line. The 1745 ditch was constructed on a different alignment to that of 1225, though they did converge at one point. |
More information : (TA 04378844 - TA 04408912) Town Moat (NR) (Three times) (1)
The medieval westward expansion of Scarborough or the 'new borough'
was mainly protected by ditch and earth rampart but with some walling
(2-5).
Murage grants were obtained in 1225 (6), 1308 and throughout the 14th
century and according to tradition the northern part was walled by
Richard III (2).
The map or 'plat' of Scarborough dated circa 1538 (4a) shows three
lengths of crenellated wall and Cossin's map of 1725 (7) shows a
stretch of wall south of Auborough Gate (TA 08 NW 105) described as
the 'new wall'. Of the latter, Binns stated that a piece still
survives in the grounds of Graham Lower School and another possible
portion on the other side of the gate in St Peter's Primary School
playground. These are both in line with each other.
Defensive preparations were made at the time of the Young Pretender's
Rising in 1745 when the ditch was cleaned out and several batteries
errected along its line (8) Newborough Gate (TA 08 NW 106) was the
main access into the 'new borough'. Excavations on the 'Balmoral' re-development site (area TA 042886) by P G Farmer in 1973 located the
town ditches of 1225 and 1745. (11-12). (See plans with TA 08 NW 99).
The V-shaped ditch of 1225 was originally about 0.7-0.8m deep with an
earth rampart, part of which had been levelled to accomodate a 16th
century cambered stone trackway. It appeared that the west wall of StThomas's Hospital (TA 08 NW 99) had been used as part of the stone defences. The ditch had become silted and ineffective by 1600 and
there was no evidence that it was cleaned-out during the Civil Wars.
The 1745 ditch was constructed on a different alignment to the 1225
ditch although they did converge at one point.
An earth and brick-built bastion of 1745 projected over the 1225
ditch in the grounds of Horley Lodge (shown on Jeffreys (9) and
Vincent's (10) maps at TA 04168866). These defences were levelled andthe ditch filled in about 1817 (11-12) . (2-12)
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