Seagrave Manor (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Seagrave.
In the historic county of Leicestershire.
Modern Authority of Leicestershire.
1974 county of Leicestershire.
Medieval County of Leicestershire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SK62001735
Latitude 52.75048° Longitude -1.08146°

Seagrave Manor has been described as a Timber Castle although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are earthwork remains.

Description

Stephen de Segrave, in the early C13 purchased land at Seagrave and built a Manor house there. (Nichols) "Extensive entrenchments defend a manorial site in this village. On the N is a low vallum and a fosse 4' 9" deep and 9' wide. At the turn of the NE corner and on the E side facing the Fosse Way is a double vallum and double fosse. The outer is 4' deep and 16' wide, the inner 9' deep and 22' wide, but the ramparts have been almost destroyed. At the E the works turn at an obtuse angle and the fosse becomes 11' deep". (VCH). The Manor house of probably stood on or near the site now occupied by the Hall Farm, the occupier of which told of a farmyard cave-in in the mid. C19 which revealed what might have been a cellar with shackles attached to the walls. The earthworks are a complex of three fishponds, with remains of an adjacent enclosure ditch, the centre pond containing a spring at its western extremity. The bank running N - S from SK 6217 1733 - SK 6217 1724 was, according to the owner, removed c.1936 and used in the construction of the dual carriageway on Foss Way to the east. (Field Investigators Comments-F1 BHS 25-JAN-61). (PastScape)

Earthworks, probably representing the medieval hall mentioned in the early C13th. Slate and tile found in the area are probably from this building. The manor house was burned down by Siward in 1232 during a revolt led by Richard Marshal. (Leicestershire and Rutland HER)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 319364.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) MLE912; MLE911; MLE9434.

Books
- Hartley, R. F., 1989, The Mediaeval Earthworks of Central Leicestershire, A survey (Leicester) p. 11, 19
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 256 (possible)
  Wall, C., 1907, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Page, Wm, (ed), VCH Leicestershire Vol. 1 p. 270 online copy
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 1 p. 418 online copy
  Nichols, J., 1800, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicestershire Vol. 3.1 p. 408 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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