Monument record 197/1/1 - Willaston Old Hall or Chaneux Hall (moat)

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, Waggott T 1964 SJ65SE13 (Index). SCH2487.

Part of the southern arm of a moat is still visible. Considered to be the site of Willaston Old Hall and probably the same as Chaneux Hall. Ormerod quotes from extensive documentary sources going back as early as 1316.

<2> Hall J, 1883, A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich or Wich-Malbank in the County Palatine of Chester, /413-4 (Book). SCH80.

<3> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, 3/487-90 1882 (Book). SCH1389.

<4> McNeil R, 1979, Plan of Willaston Moat (Book). SCH2666.

1979 survey shows moat further degraded with part of southern arm only water filled. Vague outline of rest of moat enclosing a platform c. 30m square.

<5> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, TA 434 1845 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

Tithe Award 1845 names the site of Willaston Old Hall as 'Moat Field', tenanted by Daniel Glover.

<6> Cheshire County Council, 1990, Rescue Excavation & Watching Brief at the Medieval Moated Site of Willaston Old Hall (Client Report). SCH2859.

1989-90 part of site threatened by construction of Nantwich By-pass. Ewk survey by RCHME clarified plan of moat & identified drainage channel leading from its SW corner to a possible fishpond 65m to S. Geophysical survey by AML showed up infilled arms of moat. Machine trenching across N & E arms of moat revealed steep-sides & flat base of moat, 14-16m wide x 2.5-3m deep. Wooden hurdles poss used to retain sides of moat. Trenches on platform revealed fence along S edge 6m long. Spoil from moat ditch had been used to raise level of platform. Six sherds of medieval pottery, a wooden handle and 17th C pottery recovered. Very slight earthworks of part of moat remain to SW of by-pass. See also sources 7-8.

<7> Cheshire County Council, 1992-1995, Cheshire Past, 1/16-17 Reynolds S 1992 (Newsletter). SCH870.

<8> Ancient Monuments Laboratory, 1990, Tree-Ring Analysis of Medieval Bridge Timbers from Willaston Moated Site, Near Nantwich, Cheshire, 1990 (Unpublished Report). SCH8816.

Tree ring analysis was carried out on ten oak timbers taken from the foundations of a medieval bridge at Willaston moated site. The ring sequences from four projecting plates were cross-matched and a tree ring chronology spanning the years AD 917-1205 was produced. The four dated timbers are likely to be contemporary and were therefore all felled after AD 1215.