Hawkshead Old Hall (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Hawkshead.
In the historic county of Lancashire.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Lancashire North of the Sands.

OS Map Grid Reference: SD34929878
Latitude 54.38034° Longitude -3.00347°

Hawkshead Old Hall has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are major building remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

Mainly of C17 date with medieval origins. It is constructed of roughcast stone with a slate roof. The hall was part of the Cistercian grange at Hawkshead, associated with Furness Abbey, and was originally attached by a south wing to Hawkshead Courthouse. Hawkshead Courthouse was also part of the monastic grange and dates to C13 with C15 remodelling. Altered and restored in 1848 and 1932. It is constructed of stone rubble with ashlar dressings under a slate roof. It was initially used as the 'sessions house' or place where the manorial courts were held; the abbey held the manor of Hawkshead for over three hundred years. It also served as the gatehouse to the grange. Following the dissolution of Furness Abbey in 1537 use of the courthouse as such still continued whilst the lower floors were used as a farm building. (PastScape)

House. Possibly C17 with medieval origins. Roughcast stone and slate roof with swept valleys. 2 storeys, east facade of 3 bays. 1st bay projects under gable; 2nd bay projects slightly under cat slide roof. 1st bay has inset beam to ground floor, above small recess with wooden door; 1st floor has small-paned casement and small return light. 2nd bay has wooden mullioned stair window of 3 lights with transom and leaded glazing. 3rd bay has 4-light wooden chamfered-mullioned window with intermediate bars to 1st floor over lean-to porch. Glazed doors to 1st and 3rd bays. 1st bay has cruciform cross-axial stack; gable end stack with round shaft. Right return has 2 sashed windows with glazing bars and horns to left of projecting chimney breast, entrance to right. Rear of 4 bays; windows have small-paned casements, but 4th bay has 5-light wooden chamfered-mullioned window with intermediate bars. Right return of 2 bays has dripcourses; sashed windows with glazing bars, those to ground floor with slated lintels, those to 1st floor with horns; gable-end stack with round shaft. Interior has stop-chamfered beams. Winding stair has turned balusters and square newels. The hall was part of the monastic grange of Hawkshead, associated with Furness Abbey, and was originally attached by a south wing to Hawskhead Courthouse. A corbel built into the wall of the porch is the original keystone from the courthouse, replaced by a replica. (Listed Building Report)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1087223 , 1335777
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 39912.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 2028.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- English Lakes
  Britain Express
  National Trust (contact details only)
Books
- Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 385
  Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 1 Northern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 209
  Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1969, Buildings of England: Lancashire, The rural north (Harmondsworth) p.139
  Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (eds), 1914, VCH Lancashire Vol. 8 p. 377-9 online transcription
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 363
  Cowper, H.S., 1899, Hawkshead: the northernmost parish of Lancashire. Its history, archæology, industries, folklore, dialect, etc. etc. (Nabu Press)
  West, T., 1805, Antiquites of Furness (Ulverston) p. 32 online copy
Periodical Articles
- 1934, 'Proceedings' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 34 p. 202-3 online copy
  Collingwood, W.G., 1926, 'An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Westmorland and Lancashire North-of-the-Sands' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 26 p. 42 online copy
  Parker, R., 1915, 'Addenda Antiquaria- Hawkshead Hall; the Restoration of the Court-house Window' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 15 p. 201 online copy
  Cowper, H.Swainson, 1890, 'Hawkshead Hall' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 11 p. 7-49 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.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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