Tankersley Moat

Description

Only a part of the northern and western arms of the moat remain well defined and these are water filled during wet weather. The remainder is, however, still traceable around the present Rectory and Glebe Farm although mainly obscured by gardens and buildings. The feature published at SK 34969980 has possibly been a fish-pond. There is no visible evidence of the former Rectory (F2 RL 17-FEB-65). (PastScape)

The main enclosure consisted of a roughly square island of c.90 m. side, now divided between the rectory (occupying the western half) and Glebe Farm. The most unusual feature of the site is the manner in which the southern arm, midway along its length, steps a few metres to the south and becomes an outer moat - i.e. at the SE corner and for the south half of the east side there are two parallel lines of moat a few metres apart. The outer moat then turns away east and divides into a small complex of channels, possibly fishponds, The whole system is shown on Fairbank's 1772 plan, and only a little modified on the 1st edition O.S. map (1855). (Ryder). (South Yorkshire SMR)

Tankersley Old Hall was built, in the late 16th century, by the Savile family. The earlier manor house site is thought to have been on the north of the St Peters Parish church, where the remains of an old moat can still be found and where the 19th Century Rectory now stands. (History of Tankersley and the Old Hall)

Comments

Probably the site of a medieval manor house but no suggestion of any fortification other than the fairly large moat (or complex of moats- the exact medieval layout is now unclear). The close by parish church has a collection of early grave slabs, a number marked with swords, suggesting the manor was an ancient one. The church is recorded in Domesday; the 1086 manor was 'quite small' and held by Richard of Sourdeval, who had some 58 manors in Yorkshire, so the C11 manor may represent a sub-tenant of his of ? knightly or serjeantry status and not necessarily french. By the C13 the family had taken the place-name as their surname and were knightly (A Sir Henry de Tankersley is recorded). By the C14 the Saville's had acquired the estate and they constructed a hunting lodge in a deer park south of the house which was then to become Tankersley Old Hall and the old manor house became a demense farm and later the local rectory.