Building record 130/1/1 - Little Moreton Hall

<1> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Vol II, p.306 (Book). SCH3228.

Little Moreton Hall, the most famous and picturesque timber framed manor house in England. The manor was first mentioned in documentary sources in 1271 and the moat may be of that date.

<2> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, SJ85NW 7/79 (Report). SCH1934.

The present house evolved from the early C15th to C16th, around a courtyard. The eastern wing, including parlour and withdrawing room, was originally the Great Hall before 1450. The present Great Hall dates from c.1450. By 1480, the West Wing had been added, to create an overall H-plan. In 1559 the 2 bay windows were added and a floor inserted into the hall. Between 1559/1580 the Eastern Wing was extended to include a Chapel and the Southern Gatehouse range constructed. It was of three storeys, including guests hall and long gallery. The exuberant decorated timber framing is of this period. Finally service rooms were added to the north-west corner in c.1600. The interior includes many items of interest, including Elizabethan wall painting and pargetted ornament in the parlour and long gallery.

<3> Gibbs J, 1984, Little Moreton Hall - Guidebook (Book). SCH1993.

<4> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, 3, 1819 (Book). SCH1389.

This building's history can be found in the family papers (source 5).

<5> Moreton Family Papers (Book). SCH2221.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, Waggott T, 1964, SJ85NW1 (Index). SCH2487.

<7> Various, Aerial photographs, OT 6, 7, 10, Cambridge University Committee for Aerial Photography (Aerial Photograph). SCH128.

<8> English Heritage, Various, Scheduled Monument Consent Letter, Two letters dated 24/02/1992 and 02/02/2010 (Written Communication). SCH2963.

<9> National Trust, 1992, National Trust: Annual Archaeological Abstracts, 1992, p.73-86 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3874.

Report on archaeological work undertaken in the 1990s during programme of renovation of Little Moreton Hall, including repair of the South Range, Long Gallery, Gate House and Secret Room. Also part of the north-west cross wing was converted for use as a custodian's flat, including construction of a new garage/work shop and installation of services. Prior to repair work commencing, photogrammetric survey of the buildings was undertaken in 1989; where photography was not possible, hand drawn elevations were produced.

The earliest surviving standing buildings within the moated area are the Great Hall and the east solar wing, believed to date to C.1450. These were supplemented by the addition of a service cross wing with a domestic first floor, a porch and a gallery in about 1480. Early in the C16th century the domestic quarters were extended south from the end of the solar to include a chapel and prayer room. The two great mullioned bays are known to have been added in 1559 by Richard Dale, who is likely to have inserted the, now lost, first floor into the Great Hall. By 1580 the South Range, together with its richly decorated Gatehouse and long gallery, had been constructed. Finally about c.1600 a small bake house wing, with the secret room over, was constructed.

A number of service trenches were cut as a part of the renovation programme. Two in the courtyard area were more than 1m deep. Within these two trenches a series of late medieval garden and yard make up deposits were observed, which were almost devoid of artefactual material. A well was encountered, as was a large rubbish pit. The rubbish pit extends under the junction of the Great Hall porch and the kitchen and had caused up to 150mm of subsidence. C19th efforts to underpin this part of the building were also observed. A trench across the floor of the C15th north west cross wing was excavated and backfilled by contractors, without archaeological presence. A short section outside was observed and the remains of a garderobe recorded. Excavation of the garderobe associated with the south range revealed a four holed toilet with a large ashlar built chamber designed to disgorge into the moat. It contained two deposits. The bottom deposit trapped by C19th blocking of the sluices contained artefactual material dating to 1665-1720. The upper deposit contained artefactual material dating to 1875-1900, including building debris which is probably from repairs undertaken in 1897-8.

<10> Evening Sentinel, Various, Evening Sentinel, 23/12/91; 13/03/92 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3875.

Short report on programme of restoration at the Hall.

<11> Unknown, 1893-Present, Sandbach Chronicle, 20/09/1991; 17/01/1992; 05/04/1992 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH5383.

Articles discussing find of medieval tiles and other finds during excavations to the east of the hall; the increase in the scheduled area of the site to include the moated enclosure and prospect mounds; the replacement of many of the failing oak timbers with new wood.

<12> Chronicle Group, 1893-2009, Congleton Chronicle, 22/07/93; 11/03/94 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH972.

Articles discussing restoration programme begun in 1990 and lasting 16 months.

<13> Daily Post, Various, Daily Post, 11/04/94 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3876.

Report of the discovery of a medieval privy/garderobe during the programme of restoration at Little Morten Hall in the 1990s; it had been used as a 'hidey-hole' with objects found including a largely complete 17th century chamber pot, 16th century tennis balls, shoes and broken pottery.

<14> Allen Archaeology Limited, 2009, Archaeological Test Pit Evaluation Report: The Orchard at Little Moreton Hall, Congleton, Cheshire, R2926 (Client Report). SCH5209.

In 2009 a series of archaeological test pits were excavated in the area of the orchard at Little Moreton Hall to assess the damage that might be caused by the anchoring of marquees. The earliest deposit encountered was a natural drift deposit of sand, this was between 0.6-0.75m below ground surface in the southern half of the site and 0.85m below ground surface in the north, suggesting a gradual deepening of deposits from south to north. The earliest archaeological evidence was a series of postholes and gullies/beam slots at depth within pits 4,6, 8 and 10; these were sealed by a layer of grey/brown silt/silty-clay 0.26-0.4m deep. Sealing this horizon was a thin spread of brown clay thought to potentially be the result of cleaning of the moat, an event that could be linked to the construction of the existing hall. The clay layer was sealed by a silty clay layer containing finds dating to the 17th to 19th centuries. Significantly, the early cut features are thought to be the remains of early timber structures pre-dating the existing hall (recorded separately as CHER 130/2/3).

<15> Higham N J, 1984-9, Professor Nick Higham's Aerial Photographs, 1988/1/2/11-12, 1988/1/5/1A & & 1988/1/4/33A-35A (Aerial Photograph). SCH7659.

<16> University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, 2001, Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire: Archaeological Landscape and Building Survey Work on the Estate., R2401 (Client Report). SCH4230.

A building and landscape survey was undertaken in 2001 at Little Moreton Hall, as part of a wider scheme of works. Two farm buildings were investigated - the seventeenth century Shippon Range/tithe barn and the nineteenth century Cowhouse. The survey also further refined the location if two water mills on the estate and revealed physical evidence for site of the bloomery in the form of iron slag.

The Morton family were powerful local lords from the thirteenth century; they served as mayors of Congleton and collected taxes for the King. Between the mid-fifteenth century and circa 1580 the family double their estate by buying surplus land which was available as a result of the impact of the Black Death in 1348 and the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s-40s. The wealth of the family is reflected in the extensive rebuilding of the hall during circa 1440-1580. The courtyard complex comprised a late medieval great hall, chapel, timber-framed gatehouse and Long Gallery. There was also a great cruck-framed tithe barn to the east of the hall, rebuilt in the early 16th century. The final extension to the house was a buttery/pantry and servants' quarter built on the southern range in the early seventeenth century. An inventory of Moreton lands (1636) includes the following assets:- the 'lower mill', the 'mill at the hall', ponds, woodlands and moss land. The decline of the estate began in the seventeenth century when parts of the estate were sold and, from the early eighteenth century, Little Moreton Hall was let to a succession of tenant farmers and would remain tenanted for the next 200 years. The Moreton family line died out in 1913 and the hall was presented to the National Trust in 1938.

<17> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England, 1161988 (Web Site). SCH6528.

See listing for full description. The house would have very considerable interest if it only partially survived. The fact that its plan is complete and its fabric so little disturbed makes this one of the most outstanding buildings in the County.

<18> Angus-Butterworth, LM, 1932, Old Cheshire Families and their Seats, p.177-192 (Book). SCH2321.

The ancient family of Moreton of Moreton Old Hall traced their descent from one Gralam de Moreton who was living in 1280 and was a grandson of Sir Gralam de Lostoc, Knight, the name of whom is now preserved in that of the railway staion 'Lostock Gralam'.

<19> Elizabeth H. Brotherton-Ratcliffe, 1982, Some Recently Discovered Tile Variations at Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, JCAS Vol 65, p.45-58 (Article in Journal). SCH9674.

Article (1982) discussing medieval tiles found at Little Moreton Hall, none were found in situ. Tiles discussed were found in 1978 in the fireplace of the room above the Withdrawing Room which had been walled off at the probably beginning of the century. Four large, plain, unglazed were placed across the back of the embrasure, with decorated tiles paving the rest of the fireplace; the grouting suggests they were laid in the 18th century, but presumably did originally derive from elsewhere in the Hall. Prior to this discovery, several decorated tiles had been 'found with material from the moat at Little Moreton Hall' and lent to Northwich Museum for recording in 1976. Further tiles were found in the vicinity of the Hall in 1978. Four designs are illustrated.