Monument record 1846/1 - Iddinshall Hall and Moat

Site of Iddinshall Hall. The canons of St Werburgh held the township of Iddinshall at Domesday when it had land for one plough. After the Dissolution, Iddinshall was granted to the Dean & Chapter of Chester, but was one of the possessions extorted from them by Sir Richard Cotton & in 1550 it was sold to the Hurlestones of Picton. Later it passed through many families (1). Reference is made to the hall by Webb, who wrote of the 'fine house & fair demesne of Idenshaw' (2). The building had disappeared by 1810, when Lyson's history was written (3). The only remains are the sub-square moat, now dry, which measures 145m E-W by 130m N-S. The arms are 10-12m wide & up to 2.5m deep. On S side is an outer retaining bank, 6m wide & up to 1m high. An inner bank enclosing the island is 6m wide & 0.5m high. A modern causeway on the E side may mark the site of the original entrance. Site now under trees & bushes (4). Fairly certain that the Elizabethan dwelling of the Hurlestones was located here, or an earlier monastic house or grange. Various timbers and pieces of dressed stone are scattered throughout the copse. There is also an artificial Victorian fox-earth. The large size of the moat, with an area of 4 acres, and its strategic position at the Beeston gap may suggest the presence here of an early Roman auxiliary fortlet, however there is no evidence for such a view (5). On clearing out a pond near the present hall, a reliquary was found of Limoges enamel, showing the murder of St Thomas of Canterbury. It probably belonged to Chester Abbey which perhaps had a grange here (6). Has been suggested as a deserted medieval village, but no evidence for this theory (7). For A/P. see SRW Iddinshall 19 showing site now covered in trees (8). Site measures c.120m x 100m,surrounded by mainly dry moat 10-12m wide x 2.5m deep. Island has inner bank 6m wide x 0.5m high, access via causeway on E side. Outer bank 6m wide x 1m high to S. Dry outlet channel issues from moats SW corner (9).

<1> Chester Courant, 1878-1990, The Cheshire Sheaf, 16/5-6 JHEB 1919 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3105.

<2> Webb, 1622, Itinerary of Cheshire (Book). SCH1499.

<3> Lysons D & Lysons S, 1806-22, Magna Britannia, 2/618 (Book). SCH2066.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ56SW3 1987 (Index). SCH2487.

<5> County Historic Environment Record, 1973-1985, Cheshire Archaeological Bulletin, 9/28 (Journal/Periodical). SCH565.

<6> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, 2/305 (Y) (Book). SCH1389.

<7> Cheshire County Council, 1974, County Treasures Record, 6/A.416 (Index). SCH1000.

<8> Various, Aerial photographs, Iddinshall 19 Williams S R 1976 (Aerial Photograph). SCH128.

<9> English Heritage, Various, Old/Original Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Description), 13459 (Scheduling Record). SCH4606.

<9> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 13459 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.