Monument Type(s):

• MANOR HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)

Summary

Scheduled Monument: A Domesday manor, remodelled in the late 13th century by the illustrious Robert Burnell, Edward I's Chancellor and Bishop of Bath & Wells, to form one of the most substantial high status medieval moated manor complexes in the county.

Related records

Associated Finds

• FSA1923 - SLAG (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• FSA1924 - SHERD (13th century to 14th century - 1200 AD? to 1399 AD?)

Associated Events

• ESA5741 - 2004 Evaluation at Concord College, Acton Burnell by Marches Archaeology (Ref: Marches CCAB04A)
• ESA6034 - 2006 Evaluation at Concord College, Acton Burnell by Marches Archaeology
• ESA6255 - 2008 Trial trenches at Kitchen/Dining Room at Concord College, Acton Burnell by Benchmark Archaeology
• ESA6286 - 2009 WB at Kitchen/Dining Room at Concord College, Acton Burnell by Benchmark Archaeology
• ESA7624 - 2012 WB at No 9, Acton Burnell by Benchmark Archaeology
• ESA7736 - 2015 WB at The Warren, Acton Burnell by Benchmark Archaeology

Description

CMHTS Comment:- This area would appear to have been greatly changed during the 18th and 19th centuries with the building of the 18th century Acton Burnell Hall and increased size of the park and during the layout of the early 19th century building (PRN 13182). This area also changed greatly between 1845 and the 1882 OS map [<2><3>]. Little or none of the medieval boundaries remain. The curved SE boundary of the component may represent the boundary of the medieval park. The rest of the boundaries are conjectural. This area may have contained parts of earlier manorial enclosure <1>

Tithe Map Transcript <2>

OS map <3>

CMHTS Report: One of two medieval manor sites in Acton Burnell, this one was established by Robert Burnell between 1283 and 1286 [<5>] as a country retreat next to an extensive deer park which he had laid out about 1270. The laying out of this manorial site may have impacted on the existing churchyard boundaries (the present church dates back to the 1250s). Only the main house survives .. There is no above ground evidence of the service buildings which must have existed and the boundary of the manorial enclosure is uncertain. The enlargement of the park in the mid 18th century and the construction of Acton Burnell Hall in the early 19th century appear to have effectively obliterated earlier boundaries <4>

Parts of this area included in the 1997 Scheduling revision of Acton Burnell Castle. Relevant parts of Scheduling description: ->

-> The monument includes the remains of Acton Burnell Castle (PRN 00287) , a 13th century residential complex situated on level ground south of Acton Burnell Hall, with easy access to the Roman road from Wroxeter to South Wales. The site includes the ruins and buried remains of a substantial chamber block and tithe barn, and the earthwork and buried remains of a perimeter moat. ->

-> The manor of Acton is first mentioned in Domesday, and a century later it was held by William Burnell, whose descendant Robert was responsible for the construction of many of the standing features. Robert Burnell served as secretary to Edward I, as Chancellor of England and Bishop of Bath and Wells, and was one of the most influential and powerful men of his time. He was granted a licence by the king to crenellate and fortify a property at Acton Burnell in 1284, and work began on the site around this date, replacing the earlier house in which Robert was born. Work continued on the manor throughout Burnell's lifetime, and it seems likely that it was still in progress at his death in 1292. The property stayed in the family, but the descent of the lordship suggests it had ceased to be used as a residence by 1420, which would explain the absence of later medieval modifications. It. Subsequently passed by marriage to the Lovells of Titchmarsh, and was confiscated by Henry VII in 1485 and given to the Earl of Surrey in return for his services at the battle of Flodden in 1513. In the 16th century it became part of the estates of the Duke of Norfolk and by the 17th century had passed to the Smythe family. By this time most of the original buildings had been demolished. In the 18th century Acton Burnell Hall was built to the north of the castle, and the estate was remodelled to create the parkland seen today, Burnell's chamber block being incorporated into the park as an ornamental barn. ->

-> St Mary's Church, Burnell's chamber block, and the tithe barn, all lie on a roughly rectangular platform which is orientated WSW to ENE along the slope. Overall the platform measures c.250m long by over 138m wide. A perimeter moat can be traced for most of its circuit along the east, north and west sides, but the southern arm is no longer visible as a surface feature. Along the east side, the inner slope of the moat is visible as a well defined scarp slope averaging 1.5m high and running roughly NNW-SSE through parkland. The outer slope of the moat here has been spread and modified by later landscaping. At its southern end this arm of the moat passes into arable farmland and its extent and orientation are uncertain. The western side of the enclosure is visible as a clear ditch 8m wide and 1.5m deep, running along property boundaries west of the site for up to 100m. At its southern end it becomes infilled and its relationship with the southern arm is obscured by the plantation through which it runs. To the north the ditch ends in line with the modern approach road, which lies at a lower level than the ground to its immediate south, along a distinct scarp up to 0.8m high. It seems probable that this lies on the original line of the northern ditch, its southern edge being defined by the scarp edge of the platform. This northern arm continues east as a buried feature, lying partly under the later buildings of Acton Burnell Hall, and partly under landscaped lawns. The layout of the buildings within the platform is only partly evident .. ->

->The surviving remains of the chamber block show it was designed as the main dwelling for the Chancellor and his household. However, an establishment of this status would have provided housing for manorial officials, guests and attendants, as well as domestic provisions such as stables, barns and a brew house. Of these, the only remains standing above ground are the ruins of a large tithe barn, which stand some 100m north east of the manor .. Although no longer visible as surface features, the remains of the other medieval buildings will survive as buried features within the enclosure, probably mostly located to the north and east of the chamber block <6>

An evaluation in 2004 found evidence of a short lived timber building of probable 13th to 14th century date which lay about 80m to the north of the surviving castle [PRN 00287] and is believed to have formed part of the late 13th century castle complex. Evidence of medieval smelting was also found <7>

Evaluation and watching brief carried out by Marches Archaeology in 2006 in connection with the construction of a new science building at Concord College, Acton Burnell. Archaeological features and deposits dating from circa. 1250 were uncovered. It is likely that other undated features also date from this period. In the north western part of the site, there was a concentration of post holes. Although no clear footprint of a building could be observed, it is possible that a building existed on the site in the period before 1250. The cess pits to the south of the site must have been associated with dwellings, perhaps part of the manorial complex before the castle was built in 1284. It is possible that there were two phases of activity before 1250 in the western part of this site. There was little pottery from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries which may reflect the decline of the lordship and cessation of use of the castle as a residence in the early 15th century. In the 18th century the estate was remodelled and Acton Burnell Hall was built. <8>

During October 2008, a programme of archaeological trial-trenching was undertaken to the east and south of the Kitchen/Dining Room at Concord College, Acton Burnell, Shropshire. Evaluation work established that the areas have been subject to high levels of truncation associated with modern 20th Century development. It appears that much of the area has been systematically stripped of any former topsoil and subsoil deposits to the level of the natural ground surface. No archaeological features or deposits of archaeological significance were identified and finds were recovered. Given the wholly negative archaeological results of the evaluation, and the high levels of truncation, the potential for the survival of archaeological deposits within the areas proposed for development is deemed to be very low. Any archaeological deposits present would be likely to comprise the lowest levels of truncated features cut into the natural bedrock. <9>

During October 2009 a watching brief was undertaken at Concord College, Acton Burnell, Shropshire as part of Scheduled Monument Consent for the laying out of a new fire exit path associated with alterations and extensions to the kitchen/dining room. Archaeological monitoring and test pitting established that the shallow depth of both the extant and proposed groundworks for the new path did not have the potential to compromise any features or deposits of archaeological significance. No features or deposits of archaeological significance were identified and no finds were recovered. <10>

A watching brief was undertaken in 2012, during groundworks for an extension to no. 9 Acton Burnell. Groundworks for services and the new extension did not reveal any features or deposits of archaeological significance. The only features identified were modern in date. A very small quantity of 18th / 19th Century pottery was recovered from generated spoil. <11>

A watching brief was undertaken associated with an extension in 2015 to The Warren, Acton Burnell. No archaeological features were identified and no pre-modern artefacts were recovered. <12>

<01> Buteux Victoria & Dalwood Hal, 1993/ 1996, CMHTS SMR Records Shropshire: Acton Burnell to Bishop's Castle, Acton Burnell 5050 (Record form). SSA19964.

<02> Foxall H D G, Transcript of Acton Burnell Tithe Map (1845) (Map). SSA11424.

<03> Ordnance Survey, 1882, OS County Series 49.04, 1882 (Map). SSA9540.

<04> Buteux Victoria et al, 1996, Archaeological Assessment of Acton Burnell, Shropshire (CMHTS) (Historic landscape survey report). SSA12061.

<05> Gaydon A T (ed), 1968, Victoria County History 8: Condover and Ford Hundreds (Volume). SSA1126.

<06> English Heritage, 1997, Scheduling Papers (Revised Scheduling, 11/07/1997) (Scheduled Monument notification). SSA21200.

<07> Wainwright Jo, 2004, Concord College, Acton Burnell, Shropshire: a report on an archaeological evaluation (Excavation report). SSA21904.

<08> Wainwright Jo, 2006, Concord College, Acton Burnell: a report on a programme of archaeological works (Archaeological fieldwork report). SSA22476.

<09> Cherrington R, 2008, Concord College, Acton Burnell, Shropshire: an archaeological evaluation (Excavation report). SSA23209.

<10> Cherrington R, 2009, Concord College, Acton Burnell, Shropshire: an archaeological watching brief (Watching brief report). SSA23289.

<11> Cherrington R, 2012, No. 9 Acton Burnell, Shropshire: an archaeological watching brief 2012 (Watching brief report). SSA28281.

<12> Cherrington R, 2015, The Warren, Acton Burnell, Shrewsbury: an archaeological watching brief 2015 (Watching brief report). SSA28473.

Sources

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