Caldewelle Hall

Has been described as a Questionable Fortified Manor House

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameCaldewelle Hall
Alternative NamesCalderfield Farm; Caldewalle
Historic CountryStaffordshire
Modern AuthorityWalsall
1974 AuthorityWest Midlands
Civil ParishWalsall

Sub-rectangular moat by Calderfields Farm with an area of around 1.2ha. Large retaining bank on outside of north and west sides. Moat fed by stream which enters at north and leaves from south west. Aerial photographs show two arms of outer enclosure extending to east of moat (HER13583) and area of ridge and furrow (13582). Site seriously damaged in 1990 by tipping over platform and bulldozing of part of earthwork. According to Rushall MS, written in the 15th century, Sir Hugh de Boweles "bilte and repairide a mansion at Caldewalle and made a moot abowte seyd mansion." Sir Hugh died before 1271-2. (Wolverhampton and Walsall HER)

A sub-circular homestead moat, now partly marshy, partly dry, situated in a low lying position in pasture fields upon a very gentle south west facing slope. The moat measures, overall, 65.0 m north east - south west by 55.0 m transversely. The arms average 11.0 m in width and 1.0 m in depth. An outer retaining bank on the north west and south west sides is 7.0 m in width and up to 0.7 m in height. The moat is fed by a stream which enters at the north and leaves from the south west. There are no visible building remains on the island which is under grass. The original causewayed entrance is on the south east side. (PastScape ref. Field Investigators Comments F3 ASP 01-JUL-76)

Gatehouse Comments

Willmore actual writes it was the parents of Hugh Boweles who built the moated mansion and he was born in this house, suggesting an early to mid C13 date for the moat. The family moved to nearby Rushall Hall and the property was in the hands of the Prior of Chaucomb by 1320 and seems to have become a monastic grange. Apart from a possible early date of construction nothing suggests this as anything other than a homestead moat.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSP035990
Latitude52.589298248291
Longitude-1.94927000999451
Eastings403530
Northings299030
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 15
  • Lynam, Charles, 1908, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol. 1 p. 368 (homestead moat) online copy
  • Willmore, F.W., 1892, Records of Rushall with a transcript of the old parish registers p. 16-17
  • Willmore, Frederic W., 1887, A history of Walsall and its neighbourhood (W.H. Robinson) p. 67-8, 254 online copy

Journals

  • Larkham, P.J., 1983, Moated Sites Research Group Vol. 10 p. 31
  • Larkham, P.J., 1982-3, 'Moated Sites in South Staffordshire' Transactions of South Staffordshire Archaeology and History Society Vol. 24 p. 8-65
  • Whiston, J.W., 1981-2, 'The Rushall Psalter' Transactions of South Staffordshire Archaeology and History Society Vol. 23 p. 89-91
  • Hammer, M.E., 1974, 'The Moated Sites of Staffordshire' Staffordshire Archaeology Vol. 3 p. 40