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Summary

Hob Moor, with the adjacent Knavesmire, is one of the two ancient commons of York and part of Micklegate Stray. Although encroached upon from the east, and ploughed over in the Napoleonic period, it remains essentially intact. Approximately 39ha in extent, it is currently under rough pasture and used as public amenity land.

Probable Napoleonic ridge and furrow cultivation surviving as slight earthworks on Hob Moor.

Monument Type(s)

• COMMON LAND (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• NARROW RIDGE AND FURROW (Late 18th Century to Early 19th Century - 1790 AD to 1829 AD)
• FOOTBALL PITCH (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
• GOLF COURSE (20th Century - 1901 AD to 2000 AD)

Protected Status

• Conservation Area

Full description

(SE 584 504 FCE) Probable Napoleonic ridge and furrow cultivation surviving as slight earthworks on Hob Moor. At least two large fields of low ridge and furrow survive as slight earthworks, covering almost the whole extent of the common land (some 30ha).

A Level 1 survey of Hob Moor was carried out in 2003 as part of English Heritage's Archaeology of Urban Commons Project.

Hob Moor, with the adjacent Knavesmire, is one of the two ancient commons of York and part of Micklegate Stray. To the east, adjacent to the former Hob Lane, stands Hob's Stone (SE 55 SE 14), which commemorates the alleged gift of the land to the poor by a knight named Hob, possibly a member of the Roos family. Although ploughed over in the Napoleonic period (see SE 55 SE 176), it remains essentially intact, and a number of adjoining areas which were not part of the ancient common are now widely regarded as being part of Hob Moor. Approximately 39ha in extent, the common is currently under rough pasture and used as public amenity land. A map of 1624 shows the southern part of the Moor, indicating that it was fringed by medieval strip fields (SE 55 SE 177 & 178) and that its extent at that date was almost identical to that of today. (2)

1 Field Investigators Comments English Heritage: Archaeology of Urban Commons Project
2 VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION Map of the Manor of Dringhouses by Samuel Parsons, surveyed 1624, published 1629, held in York City Reference Library

* W W M Nisbet, 1973, The Strays of York (Booklet). SYO2633.

NMR, 2019, NMR data (Digital archive). SYO2214.

Sources and further reading

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