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Summary

Farmhouse which became a vicarage in 19th century. Subsequently used as Marland House Hotel, and then as a school. The building is likely to represent the medieval demesne farm or manor house.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• VICARAGE (XIX to Late 20th Century - 1840 AD to 1982 AD)

Full description

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments (Cartographic). SDV359954.

Large building with central courtyard depicted on tithe map. The Peters Marland tithe apportionment documents plot no. 435 as Houses and Court.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

"Rectory" marked.

Unknown, 1976 - 1984, Development Control Consultations (Un-published). SDV346248.

Listed Grade III in 1959. "Marland House Hotel. Formerly vicarage. Early 19th century stucco central block of two storeys with three sash windows and hipped slate roof and stone Doric portico. Either side are symmetrical two storey wings with one wing set back."
A large amount of extension has taken place to side and rear. Other details: Photos 21/3-77.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

'Marland School' marked.

Rohan, N. + Morris, B., 2012, Marland School, Peters Marland, Devon. Results of a Desktop Assessment & Archaeological Monitoring and Excavation, 6, 9 (Report - non-specific). SDV349461.

The buildings of Marland School were 'Marshes Tenement' in circa 1840, and became the Rectory during the later half of the 19th century. Subsequently the Rectory became (briefly) a hotel and then the school.
Within the parish, Marland was the head manor, and it is within the head manor that the church would normally have been built. Although the earliest architectural features of the church date from the 15th century, it is very probable that there was an earlier church here, since many medieval manors acquired a church as a mark of prestige from around the 10th century onwards. Thus the church very frequently lies very close to the lord’s main residence, be it manor house or demesne farm. This points to the strong possibility that the core, at least, of Marshes Tenement (now Marland School) was the descendant of the manorial demesne (Barton) farm or manor house.

Webb, P., 2022, Marland School, Peters Marland, Torridge, Devon: Results of an Archaeological Excavation (Report - Excavation). SDV365356.

This report presents the results of an archaeological excavation carried out by South West Archaeology Ltd. (SWARCH) at Marland School, Peters Marland, Torridge, Devon, as part of the redevelopment of the school buildings. The site is located within the school compound, immediately to the east of St Peter’s Church. Previous desk-based work and archaeological evaluation have identified medieval features dating to between the 13th and 14th centuries, possibly associated with settlement on the site, as well as later post-medieval boundary features.

The archaeological excavation identified a total of 17 archaeological features associated with medieval settlement here, and the post-medieval, largely 19th and 20th century, development of the courtyard farm and Rectory.

Two distinct rooms or structures (S1 and S2; Figures 3, 4, 6) were identified at the southern end of the site, both extending beyond the limits of excavation. The easternmost of these, S1, was rectangular in plan and orientated roughly north-west to south-east within a possible construction terrace [142]. Structure S1 measured 5.60×4.30m+ across, extending beyond the eastern limit of excavation. The interior of this structure had a cobbled floor comprising tightly-packed irregular and sub-rounded slatestone cobbles, long axes laid on a broad north-west to south-east alignment, and set into a mid-dark brown soft silt-clay. Built into this floor was drainage channel. A later phase of S1 saw it subdivided by a narrow walL. Finds recovered from structure S1 included medieval and post-medieval pottery, animal bone from the fill of construction terrace [142], and animal bone from the construction of wall {126}.

Structure S2 was located immediately to the west of structure S1 on the same alignment, though its internal floor surface stepped up from S1 and had suffered more extensive damage. S2 survived as the fragmentary remains of walls {135} and {136} which formed its north-east corner, and the patchy remains of cobble floor (131), which survived to the northern end. Both the east and north wall had been robbed out (robber cut [143]). Overall, S2 measured 5.70m × 2.90m+ wide, extending beyond the western limit of excavation. Fragmentary wall {135} formed the remains of the eastern side of the structure and was orientated approximately north-west to south-east. The surviving length was only 1.40m long, with a width of 0.25m and a height of up to 0.15m. It was constructed of subangular slatestone with an earth/clay bond. Keyed into the southern end, wall {136} formed a return to the east. It survived for a length of 1.10m, was 0.20m wide and 0.15m high. This was also constructed of subangular slatestone with an earth/clay bond and survived along the northern edge of the structure in a patch 2.80m+ × 2.10m cross. It comprises tightly-packed irregular to sub-rounded slatestone cobbles laid roughly north-east to south-west within a mid-dark brown soft silt-clay matrix. No finds were recovered from S2.

The relationship of S1 to S2 would suggest S2 was the earlier building and S1 was built abutting it, the floor level in S1 being lower, at or just below the base of the walls of S2.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8952 - Results of an Archaeological Excavation: Marland School, Peters Marland, Torridge, Devon (Ref: 201114)

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