Thorpe Arnold Hall Close

Description

At Thorpe Arnold are miscellaneous earthworks including a bank enclosing a square, a large fishpond, and to the west elaborate defences. Suggested as being a prehistoric site later utilised for manorial defences. (VCH). S.W. of St. Mary's Church, Thorpe Arnold, in a poor defensive position on level ground on the edge of a slope down to the river, there is a series of earthworks, apparently of more than one period. The first period is represented by an oval earthwork, the N. and E. sides only of which survive, measuring internally 140 m. NE SW by about 110 m. transversely. It consists of a large flattened rampart with outer ditch (see section) which is now largely waterfilled though this is clearly a comparatively recent feature as evidenced by a brick-riveted pond-bay at the S. end. The W. side and most of the S. side has been either extensively mutilated by quarrying or overlaid by another earthwork comprising a large flat-topped bank, 9.0 m. wide and 1.5 m. high with no ditch. It is rectangular on plan and flanks an olds road on the E. At the foot of the slope to the W. there is a spring and a probable fish-pond. These earthworks are probably medieval. (Field Investigators Comments-F1 AC 12-SEP-62) The earthworks are located in a field called Hall Close This is the clue to the later portions which are similar to others in Leicestershire and Northants which belong to the late med. and early post med. periods (Field Investigators Comments-F2 BHS 21-APR-72) Cantor includes Thorpe Arnold in a list of castles in the county quoting John Nichols as saying that Ernald de Bois, steward to Robert 'Bossu' had a residence here. At this date such a residence need not have been a proper castle but was more likely to have been a moated manor house. (PastScape)