Keynedon Barton

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameKeynedon Barton
Alternative NamesKennedon Farm
Historic CountryDevonshire
Modern AuthorityDevon
1974 AuthorityDevon
Civil ParishFrogmore and Sherford

Forecourt walls, remains of gateway and barn to Keynedon Farmhouse. C15, barn probably C17. Slate stone rubble walls. The battlemented wall still shows on the south side but on the north it has been concealed by the building of the barn probably in the C17. The moulded jambs of the main gate on the East side still survive as high as the springing and the wall to the side of it has a chamfered plinth and moulded string. The C15 gate-tower above the arch was demolished in the late C19. (Listed Building Report)

At the beginning of the 16th century the open area to the front of the house was enclosed on its fourth side by a curtain wall containing a gateway or gatehouse, creating a more formal entrance court. The wall is built of high quality slate ashlar, and aligned on the front door is a wide gateway with heavy double roll-moulded jambs. Springers for a flattened segmental or four-centred arch survive. A draw-bar hole survives in the south jamb. To the south of the gate is a scar where a wall flanking the gateway has been removed. This may have formed the south wall of a gatehouse. (Devon and Dartmoor HER ref. Waterhouse)

Gatehouse Comments

There are a number of blocked window openings in the courtyard walls. Seems unlikely that battlemented walls were really fortifications but the lost gatehouse may have been a more defensive feature. This was a small but significant late medieval manor house at one time noted for its stained heraldic windows.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSX774432
Latitude50.2767715454102
Longitude-3.72095990180969
Eastings277470
Northings43280
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 3 Southern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 582
  • Waterhouse, Robert, 2003, 'Garden Archaeology in South Devon' in R. Wilson-North (ed), The Lie of the Land (Mint Press; Exeter) p. 66-82
  • Hoskins, W.G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon (London: Collins) p. 475
  • Pevsner N., 1952, Buildings of England: South Devon p. 258
  • Lysons, D. and S., 1822, Magna Britannia Vol. 6 Devon p. 440 online transcription

Journals

  • Waterhouse, Robert, 2000, 'Keynedon Barton, Sherford, Kingsbridge' Devon Archaeological Proceedings Vol. 58 p. 127-200
  • Seymour, D.J., 1955, 'The smaller manor houses of medieval Devon' Transactions of the Torquay Natural History Society Vol. 12.1
  • 1930-1, Devon and Cornwall notes and queries Vol. 16 p. 337
  • Reichel, O.J., 1911, 'The Hundreds of Devon, XII. The Early History of the Hundred of Colridge' Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 43 p. 192, 196, 201, 203, 211