Monument record 2506 - Cranshaw Hall Moated Site

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 13480 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Cranshaw Hall moated site. It includes an island partially occupied by the 19th century rebuilding of Cranshaw Hall and farm buildings of approximately the same date. In the centre of the buildings is a cobbled yard that is an original feature containing a sandstone-lined well. The remainder of the island comprises lawns, ornamental shrubbery gardens and an- access drive. The surrounding moat has been infilled - this task finally being completed in the late 1950's. The line of the moat's W arm can be traced across the lawn as a shallow depression c.15m wide x 0.2m deep. A modern sectional dwelling has been erected above the S end of the moat's W arm while farm outbuildings overlie part of the E arm. Access to the island was originally by a bridge. Cranshaw is first mentioned in 1270 and the moated site was in existence by 1400. The island is depicted on the 1840 Tithe Map as containing Cranshaw Hall and three subsidiary buildings. Cranshaw Hall, its farmbuildings, the sectional building and all service pipes; a greenhouse; a propane gas holder: the access drive, a path and all flagged areas are excluded from the scheduling. The ground beneath all these features, however, is included.

<2> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, 1840 Bold Township (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

1840 Tithe map shows 4 sides of moat with expanded pool on SE corner. Within moat are three buildings.

<3> British Archaeological Association, 1847-present, Journal of the British Archaeological Association, /87 Smith 1867 (Journal/Periodical). SCH1578.

An ampulla shaped jar or bottle was found in the moat in November 1866 -pre c16th century

<4> 1994, Merseyside SMR, /S188 (Book). SCH2189.

This site transferred from Merseyside to Cheshire.

<5> Matrix Archaeology, 2005, Cranshaw Hall Farm, Bold, Halton, Cheshire; Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (Client Report). SCH4727.

An archaeological desk-based assessment was undertaken for the Cranshaw Hall Farm site in 2005 in advance of proposed site development.

Documentary evidence suggests that the Crangage estate was newly created around 1270 by a grant of land from the manorial overlords, the Bolds of Bold Hall. Cranshaw Hall was first described as a dwelling house in 1466 as a '..hall with rooms high and low, a kitchen, barns, beast-houses and yards..'. The hall or housebody would have formed the main living room, whilst the 'high and low' rooms suggest a solar wing at the higher end of the hall, and service rooms at the lower end of the hall. The basic pattern of hall and cross wings seems to have been retained in the building in later centuries. In 1662, the hearth tax returns state that the house had five hearths and, in 1673, six hearths; this suggests a residence of minor gentry or wealthier yeomanry status. Surviving pictorial evidence suggests a timber-framed house with a central hall and two cross-wings. The timber framing includes straight braces between the principal posts and tie-beam/wall plate joints, characteristics indicative of late sixteenth/early seventeenth century date. It seems probable, from documentary evidence, that the hall was rebuilt in the late sixteenth/early seventeenth century date. The 1840 Tithe Map shows the hall as an east-west rectangular, structure with cross-wings, located within the north-west corner of the moated platform.

The existing brick farmhouse pre-dates the 1880's when the hall is said to have been demolished. It is possible that the existing farmhouse was constructed as part of the earlier hall, following demolition of the eastern timber-framed cross wing. This could explain why there is a substantial sandstone plinth at the base of the east wall of the farmhouse, also why the west gable contains no windows and is stuccoed over, hiding any scars of the former building to the west.

Although there is no documentary evidence for a moat pre-dating the 1840 Tithe map, it is likely that it was of medieval origin and contemporary with the construction of Cranshaw Hall. Its location can be fairly accurately determined from the OS 1893 map, and the position of the western and southern arms are still discernable as slight hollows in the existing lawns. The width of the moat appears to have been an average of 7-8m, although the eastern section of the south limb was almost 20m across, suggesting that it could have served as a fishpond. It was probably in-filled in the mid twentieth century.

<6> Matrix Archaeology, 2005, Cranshaw Hall Farm, Bold, Halton, Cheshire; Archaeological Evaluation (Client Report). SCH5133.

An evaluation was carried out in 2005 at Cranshaw Hall in connection with proposals to convert the farm buildings to residential use. Trenching confirmed the position of the moat, which had been progressively filled in during the course of the 20th century, and demonstrated that across much of the site modern deposits directly overlay natural boulder clay with no evidence of an artificially raised moat platform. Further expanses of a well-preserved cobbled surface, which covers much of the present farmyard, were exposed in a number of trenches.

<7> Matrix Archaeology, 2006, Cranshaw Hall Farm, Bold, Halton; Archaeological Recording., R2630 (Client Report). SCH4767.

In June 2006, a programme of archaeological building recording was undertaken at Cranshaw Hall Farm in order to provide a record of some of the buildings prior to their re-development. Four buildings were included in the survey, however, the nineteenth century farmhouse was not included.

The four buildings are arranged around two courtyards (east and west); they appear to date from circa 1800 to the early twentieth century. Building A was built circa 1800 as a threshing barn and shippon and probably replaced an early cruck-built structure; two cruck blades were re-used as door lintels in the new barn along with some of the other timber. It was extended in the early nineteenth century. Buildings B and C were erected circa 1900 during a reorganisation of the farm following the 'Great Agricultural Depression ' of 1873-96. Building B contained loose boxes. Building C was a cartshed and granary. They were probably erected at the same time as the moat was in-filled. Building D was erected in the 1920s and comprised a smithy/bothy range of buildings, also a stable and pigsty.

In summary, the farm buildings although not listed, are well preserved and attractive. They are little altered and represent an interesting transiton from the vernacular tradition which utilises local brick, sandstone and re-used timber, to a more widespread industrial tradition.

<8> Matrix Archaeology, 2018, Cranshaw Hall Farm, Bold, Halton, Cheshire: Evaluation and Watching Brief Report, R4218 (Client Report). SCH8547.

An archaeological watching brief and trial trenching were undertaken in 2018 at Cranshaw Hall Farm in advance of development work on site, including the rebuild of a boundary wall and gate piers, a new garden path and area of hard-standing at the site entrance. A linear cut was encountered in trench 1, which was infilled with clay and sandstone blocks; this has been interpreted at the remains of the south elevation of the early post medieval hall. A potential group of post hole pits were recorded within the building, these together with the number of post medieval finds, suggest the house has considerable archaeological potential. Other features recorded may represent drains of late post medieval origin. In trench 5, located at the original entrance to the property, substantial sandstone footings were encountered which coincided with the west flank of the causeway across the moat. Abutting these footings was section of east-west wall. This implies that the earthen bank of the causeway was revetted by sandstone walls. The east-west section of walling may represent a buttress of sorts, of the same date or maybe a later addition.

<9> Matrix Archaeology, 2020, Cranshaw Hall Farm, Bold, Halton, Cheshire: Evaluation and Watching Brief Report (September 2020), R4446 (Client Report). SCH8906.

Following on from the evaluation in 2018, further trial trenches were excavated and a watching brief undertaken in 2020 at Cranshaw Hall Farm. Six trenches were excavated to facilitate the laying of a new electric cable, and construction of a wall and gate pillars.

Within Trench 1, there were substantial remains of the early post medieval demolished house. The north and south wall footings appeared to be present, as well as a substantial area of sandstone flooring. It was previously suspected that the existing farmhouse had been constructed directly over the eastern part of the earlier house, but the layout of the walls and floors suggests that the building alignments did not coincide. The earlier house is known from historic cartographic evidence to have had a central block with two cross-wings. It is not possible to be certain about which part of this footprint the trench was excavated, but it seems likely that it crossed the central block. The dating of the sandstone wall footings and floors is problematic. The finds from Trench 1 covered the period from the 17th to 20th centuries, although the sandstone remains could be significantly earlier. The existing sketch of the building shows a timber-framed structure, which will have been supported on sandstone plinths.

Trench 2 revealed substantial cut features, which could not be properly identified within such a narrow and shallow trench. They produced a significant number of finds, mainly of 17th to 19th century date, although a few medieval potsherds were also recovered. It is suggested that the cut features were for domestic rubbish disposal.

Trench 3 confirmed, as previously suspected, that the bulk of the moat fills comprises late post-medieval fills of no archaeological significance. If the moat does contain any medieval-period fills, these are most likely to survive at a good depth.

Trench 4 revealed a number of negative features cut into the moated platform. These were probably of post-medieval origin, and of moderate archaeological interest.

Trenches 5 and 6 revealed more evidence for the position of the moat, and the nature of the moat crossing. It is now clear that the existing access route into the moated site was revetted on the west side by a substantial sandstone wall. This has been completely concealed by the moat being infilled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There is no evidence to suggest a late medieval origin for this causeway, and the only retrieved potsherd implied a late post-medieval date. It therefore remains a possibility that this causeway replaced an earlier bridge, constructed either of stone or timber, but not necessarilly at the same location.