Sedbergh Hallgarth (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Hall Garths

In the civil parish of Sedbergh.
In the historic county of Yorkshire.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Yorkshire West Riding.

OS Map Grid Reference: SD65999143
Latitude 54.31732° Longitude -2.52430°

Sedbergh Hallgarth has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are no visible remains.

Description

A 'rectangular elevation' at Hallgarth was levelled in 1890 exposing building foundations, a masonry-lined well, a coin of Henry VII, plain red earthen ware sherds, etc., The clay in the hollow in front of the elevation suggested a moat. A bulldozer levelling in Hall Garth in 1957, cracked the covering slab of a well containing late Medieval pottery. C14 jug base and other Medieval potsherds were among surface finds elsewhere in the field. Hall Garth has been levelled and is now used as a playing field. All trace of the former building platform has been destroyed but the recorded finds from the site are displayed in the Sedbergh School Museum. A pecked outline of a rectangular ditch shown on the OS 6" map of 1854 at SD 65999143, suggests the site of a moat. (SMR record)

The so-called manor house may be the invention of the Reverend William Thompson, a 19th century antiquary. Reference in several Compoti Rolls from 1372-1457 to a stonehouse at Millthrop might even be the Hall Garth. (PastScape ref. Perriam and Robinson)

A field known as Hallgarth, about half a mile south of Sedbergh, formerly contained a rectangular earthwork platform. This is shown on the 1st edition OS of 1852 as being about 200ft by 180ft. During the removal of the platform in 1890, foundations and corner stones were uncovered indicating a large building, possibley with an associated moat. A well was also uncovered along with finds of several coins. A watching brief undertaken in 1956 during further levelling works revealed additional medieval sherds (Addyman 1966). The name Hallgarth suggests that the moated earthwork was perhaps the hall of the lords or sub-tenants of the Sedbergh manor. Hallgarth may have been replaced in the 16th century by Ingmire Hall, to the west of Sedbergh, or by Thorns Hall, both of which were in occupation in the 17th century (Addyman 1966)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 44174.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) MYD3615; 2098 (Cumbria County Council SMR).

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 394
  Thompson, W., 1910, Sedbergh, Garsdale, and Dent: peeps at the past history and present condition of some picturesque Yorkshire dales p. 21-2 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Sedbergh Historian Vol. 1.4
  Sedbergh Historian Vol. 1.3
  Addyman, P.V., Simpson, W.G., and Spring, P.W.H., 1966, 'Two Medieval Sites near Sedbergh, West Riding' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 41 p. 39-42
  Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, J.G., 1958, 'Medieval Britain in 1957' Medieval Archaeology Vol. 2 p. 208 download copy
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- English Heritage, 2006, Extensive Urban Survey - Cumbria (Cumbria County Council) Download 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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