Scotgrove: A Medieval Manor on the Border of Ash cum Ridley and Hartley

A Medieval Manor on the Border of Ash cum Ridley and Hartley

Known for nearly 300 years as Chapel Wood

Excavated between 1972 and 1984

The site has never been ploughed and thus has been preserved under coppiced woodland for over three hundred years. The medieval banks and ditches can still be seen within their woodland setting. Prior to the 1974 local government boundary changes, the site of Scotgrove was in the Parish of Ash cum Ridley but is now in the Parish of Hartley. The remaining members of the original archaeological group, Roger Cockett, Pam and Ted Connell and Gill and Gerald Cramp are working to make the results of the Group’s excavations since 1964 more readily available.

Earlier Interest in the Site

The importance of Scotgrove has been well known for many years. John Thorpe in his book, Custumale Roffense, published in 1788, tells us that his father visited the site of the chantry chapel at Scotgrove in 1728 with the rector of Ash. They saw the remains of the chapel standing to a height of four to five feet at the west end, with a gap in the south wall which could have been a door. They noted that the whole site was enclosed by a bank and ditch and that this wooded enclosure had been called Chapel Wood since before Thorpe’s visit. Few locals at that time, however, knew the name Scotgrove. In the middle of the 19th century, the remaining flint walls were demolished, some used to fill a well within the enclosure and others incorporated in an outhouse of the Black Lion Inn on the other side of Ash Road.

Interest in the site was revived in 1926, when remains were discovered by A J Dennis in the back garden of his property which backed Ash Road. At the time, these were identified as a Roman hypocaust by the rector of Hartley, the Rev Gerard Winstanley Banks. In 1940, R J Jessup suggested that the remains could be part of a medieval tile kiln, a view which was confirmed by excavations carried out by B J Philp in 1963. Photographs from 1926 (see page 43) showed that the kiln comprised two series of arches constructed of roof tiles. In 1963 the ground plan of the kiln was exposed, but unfortunately the arches had disintegrated. The peg roof tiles from the kiln are similar to those found during the 1972 to 1984 excavations, including the more unusual nib roof tiles which are discussed below.

ABOVE Chapel Wood today

RIGHT Plan of Chapel Wood in 1967 by John Caiger and extended by Roger Cockett in 1984

Between 1972 and 1984, members of the Fawkham and Ash Archaeological Group carried out excavations on the site of the medieval manor of Scotgrove. At that time the site was scheduled for destruction by the construction of a major road near New Ash Green. This road was never built. Initially, the excavations were directed by Roger Walsh and then by Ted Connell and finally by Roger Cockett.

Plan of Scotgrove Medieval Settlement

In 1967, a major survey of the earthworks was undertaken under the supervision of J E L Caiger which was published in Archaeologia Cantiana volume 87. The external boundary ditch and bank encloses a roughly rectangular area, approximately 100m wide. The enclosure was sub-divided by banks into three parts. The excavations took place along the northern edge of the central area. Unfortunately, Caiger was unable to survey the eastern part because it was occupied by houses and gardens. These gardens were surveyed in 1984 by Roger Cockett and showed that some of the eastern boundary bank of the earthworks could be traced in the front gardens along the Ash Road. Its length of 250m was now determined. The tile kiln discovered in 1926 lay about 20m outside the enclosure to the south.

ABOVE Survey of 1984 - the bank and ditch on the north side of the enclosure

RIGHT The stoke hole of the tile kiln as found in 1926

Documentary Sources (courtesy of Roger Cockett)

The first major analysis of the documentary sources was carried out by W F Proudfoot and published in Archaeologia Cantiana volume 94. He noted that Thomas Robinson published a book in 1741 entitled ‘The Common Law of Kent, or the Custom of Gavelkind’. In the 1897 edition, details are given of a leading case in the reign of Edward II, Gatwyk v Gatwyk. The case lasted from about 1313 to at least 1316. The issue was whether all or part of the manor of Scotgrove was held under Gavelkind, the ancient form of the descent of land. The outcome of the case was that the manor remained a military tenure but the details preserved in the action provide much information on the families involved.

After further research, Roger Cockett has written the following history. The manor of Scotgrove appears in a charter roll in 1233. It was held by William de Fawkham from Mabel de Torpel, the widow of Roger de Torpel. The charter created a military tenure out of Mabel’s gavelkind land which avoided the custom of dividing up lands between all the sons in a family. William started the settlement which became Scotgrove manor and built the first manor house about 1225. The nearby manor of Fawkham belonged to his older brother Waleran, so it made sense to start up a new manor for himself and his family nearby in Ash. In fact, Waleran de Fawkham died in 1246 and William became owner of Fawkham. After only 20 years use Scotgrove manor was surplus to the family’s needs, but then in 1250, William de Fawkham died. William’s son, another William, inherited both Fawkham and Scotgrove manors.

William de Fawkham the son had an amazing military career. From his first expedition with Henry III to Gascony in 1253 until the king’s death in 1272, William was always with the king. He was Constable of Rochester Castle in 1263 and later he became one of the marshals of the king’s household. William was married about 1270 to the Lady Lora de Ros of Horton and he sold Scotgrove manor about then to a Sussex man, Richard de Gatewyke. William died about 1290 and neither Fawkham nor Scotgrove had probably seen much of him over the years.

The Gatewyke family were the major occupiers of Scotgrove manor and were there for over 60 years. Richard de Gatewyke rebuilt the manor house about 1270. Richard and his wife Katherine had three sons, John, Richard and William. By 1306 John de Gatewyke had inherited Scotgrove, but in 1313 John died, leaving his wife Joan and three young daughters. His uncles, Richard and William, seized the opportunity to claim one third share each of their father’s estate. The legal dispute recounted by Thomas Robinson followed and was heard before the justices in Kent, and later the King’s Bench in London. Edward II intervened on the side of the 3 daughters. The judges hesitated to decide and the case was adjourned several times and in the end was dropped.

Thus Joan de Gatewyke and her daughters were left in possession of Scotgrove. It seems that John de Gatewyke had built a chantry chapel in the manor where prayers could be said for the soul of his father but that he died before appointing a chaplain and then the years of the court case delayed matters. In 1321 the Bishop of Rochester appointed a chaplain and further chaplains are mentioned in 1328, 1333 and 1342. Joan de Gatewyke paid tax for Scotgrove in 1334. She then married one William de Wavere of Canterbury and he paid the tax in 1347. No more chaplains were appointed to Scotgrove and if Joan followed her husband to Canterbury the site may have been abandoned, even before the Black Death arrived in 1348. Neither the archaeological evidence nor the documentary sources suggest that Scotgrove was inhabited after the Black Death had swept this part of Kent in 1348.

By 1359, the Colepepper family had become tenants of this site and then by 1381 had acquired ownership. With some gaps, ownership can be traced through the Fane (or Vane), Walter, Umfrey and Lance families. The 1792 the Fulljames Survey of Ash, which comprised an extensive schedule and large map, showed that the Lance family owned 75 acres, 12 of which were Chapel Wood. The Fulljames Survey formed the basis of the Tithe survey in 1839.

The 1972 to 1984 Excavations

The excavations were centred along the line of the projected bypass for New Ash Green. In all, the ground plan of 6 buildings were recovered – 3 were timber framed with very slight flint foundations and the other 3 were more substantial and flint mortared walls and tiled roofs. Sections were cut through the northern bank and ditch and the cross bank which lay to the west of the timber framed buildings. Over much of the site, stratification was either very limited or non existent. Some medieval pottery together with a little bone, oyster shell and some iron work was recovered. Apart from a large number of roof tiles, including the more unusual nib roof tiles which are discussed below.

RIGHT Plan of excavated buildings inside the northern enclosure ditch

RIGHT The southwest corner of the chapel (Building E) in the foreground and the undercroft (Building B). These were excavated in 1972. The undercroft was attached to Building B, not yet excavated and under the trees

The Probable Chapel Building (Building E)

Caiger’s survey of 1967 suggested that the site of the chapel lay on the line of the proposed road. The 1972 excavation showed that the bank in Caiger’s survey labelled ‘chapel’ was, in fact, the debris from the demolition of this building. A fragment of the west wall remained in situ and the outline of the building measuring 7m by 12m could be traced through robbed out trenches with the possibility of a south door. The walls were about 70cm thick and constructed of mortared flints with Reigate stone quoins. In the debris of the east wall, part of an Early English arch of Reigate stone was recovered. The east-west alignment and the absence of a tiled hearth suggest that this building was the chapel. A tile fall on its north side indicates the final roofing material and in addition a few small fragments of medieval glass were found. The probable chapel was about 2.5m east of the undercroft and at a slight angle to it.

ABOVE Rectangular base in undercroft

The Three Timber Framed Buildings (A, B and C)

The evidence for the earliest timber framed building, perhaps the hall of a house, (Building A on the plan) was very slight and comprised lines of flints set in clay to mark the position of the walls. It measured 8m by 14m and was demolished to be replaced by another.

The second (Building B) was similar to the first but overlaid it at its eastern end. It was approximately 8m by 13m with evidence of a possible central tiled hearth. The undercroft (Building D) described below was added to the eastern end of this second timber framed building.

The third timber framed building (Building C) was situated along the north side of a courtyard and measured about 8m by 13m. The central hearth of this building was defined by flints set in clay. Some small fragments of medieval glass were found in the debris. The building was approximately 2m north of Building B.

ABOVE The dwarf foundation of one of the timber framed buildings (Building B on plan)

ABOVE The Hearth, of Building C

BELOW The junction of the undercroft and Building B

Finds

In total some 700 fragments of late 13th or early 14th century pottery were recovered. Most sherds were the grey sandy coarse wares typical of this part of Kent. The finer wares included some London green glazed wares of the same date. No examples of the earlier 12th century coarser shell tempered wares were found. These are common in this part of Kent and have been found at the neighbouring medieval Fawkham Manor owned from about 1100 by the same De Fawkham family but are completely absent at Scotgrove.

The Undercroft (Building D)

Added to the east end of Building B was a cross wing, presumably two storied, over an undercroft measuring 11.5m by 5.5m (Building D). The walls, constructed of mortared flint, were mostly about 60 cm thick, with the exception of the common wall with Building B which was 30 cm thick. The clay floor of the undercroft was about 1m below ground level and was entered from the courtyard through a door onto a flight of steps. The door jambs were constructed of squared Reigate stone. In the middle of the east wall there was additional masonry, rectangular in shape and measuring about 1m by 2m, possibly a foundation for a first floor fireplace. There is evidence that this building was also tiled.

Building F Attached to the Undercroft

Added to the north east corner of the undercroft was another masonry building with a tiled roof. It was about 9.5m long by 3.5m wide with a strongly built compartment, 2m square at its northern end. The walls were of mortared flint about 40 cm thick. There was some slight evidence for a 1m-wide door on its courtyard side. Many peg tiles, several almost complete, were discovered, indicating that this building was heavily tiled. These tiles measured about 16cm by about 24.5cm. In addition fragments of over 100 nib tiles were recovered in and around this building.

LEFT Building F looking towards the undercroft

RIGHT Roof tile with one nib and one peg hole

This building is a puzzle. Was it a store house requiring ventilation to the roof which may have been provided by the nib tiles? Why was it so narrow; at only 3.5m wide? We would welcome any suggestions as to the purpose of this building.

Summary

The site of Chapel Wood as the medieval manor of Scotgrove has been known for many years. The documentary and pottery evidence supports a period of occupation from about 1225 to 1350.

Only a small part of the enclosure was excavated by the Fawkham and Ash Archaeological group between 1972 and 1984. The masonry and timber framed buildings can be interpreted as the core of the manorial complex developed during its period of occupation. It is almost certain that other buildings remain to be discovered as most of the site has not been studied in detail.

Today, much of the enclosure remains wooded with the boundary banks and ditches still visible. During the 1920s, a narrow strip along the edge of Ash Road was developed with the construction of a few bungalows. The site of the chapel and the tile kiln are recorded on the Kent Historic Environment Record and the enclosure is shown by Sevenoaks District Council as an area of archaeological potential.

Discussion on Nib Tiles

These tiles are larger than ordinary peg tiles, with a width of 18cm and a length of 29cm. Each tile has one nib and one peg hole. The nib is handmade and pulled up from the top edge of the tile and protrudes about 1.5cm from the upper surface and is about 2.5cm wide. Also, Philip found several fragments in his excavations of the tile kiln as published in his book, Excavations in West Kent, (1973). One suggestion is that these tiles were for ventilation in the roof; the nib holding the upper tile proud and thus creating a gap. Is this correct?

Nib tiles have been found on several other medieval sites, including a few at Battle Abbey, but not in such a quantity as at Scotgrove. Seven nib tiles are illustrated in Hare’s report (1985) of the excavations at Battle Abbey. He discusses how they were made, their size, where else they have been found and dates them firmly to the thirteenth century, but does not suggest their purpose.