Scorborough Hall, Leconfield

Description

The medieval moated site includes a very large enclosure containing the present manor house, Scorborough Hall, which is Listed Grade II, in its north eastern corner. It was formerly the seat of the Hotham family who had lived in Scorborough from the 13th century, and once included a manor house which was fortified during the Civil War and subsequently destroyed by fire around 1705, following which the Hotham family removed to a new country house at South Dalton. The present Scorborough Hall was built on the site of the previous one in the early-mid-18th century and is not included in the scheduling. A late 18th century bridge, Listed Grade II, gives access across the moat on the north western side. The large rectangular moated enclosure is nearly 250m in length overall, and 100m in width. To the south west of the moat there is a fishpond, 50m in length and 10m wide. The 'U' shaped moat ditch is of variable depth and width, but is on average 12m wide at its top, and 1.5m-3m deep, containing standing water in places. Along the western arm there is the remains of a low exterior bank, about 12m wide. There are the remains of what is thought to have been an original entrance in the north eastern side of the moat, 5m in width, although the main entrance appears to have been approached from the north west where natural terminals to the two moated arms afford an access up to 18m wide at this point. The construction of Scorborough Hall and associated buildings, has disrupted the north eastern moat arm. Scorborough Hall and its cellars directly overlie part of the northern moat arm, and will have disturbed the archaeological deposits and this area is not included in the scheduling. Further south towards the centre of the north eastern arm, the moat ditch is partly infilled for a length of some 75m near the entrance on this side, although it will survive as a buried feature, and therefore has been included in the scheduling. The shallow remains of a second fishpond, 37m long by 25m wide survives outside the south eastern end of the enclosure, and is included in the scheduling. The moated site is adjacent and related to a group of earthworks belonging to the shrunken medieval settlement of Scorborough, which lie in pasture to the west and north west of the church. The earthworks include the remains of house platforms, tofts, hollow ways, and fishponds, together with some surviving ridge and furrow field systems, which have been identified from aerial photographs. The full extent of the medieval settlement which underlies and extends beyond the present day village of Scorborough is not fully understood and thus is not included in the scheduling. (Scheduling Report)