Crewgarth

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameCrewgarth
Alternative NamesOuseby; Sooty Hill; Castle Slack; Castelslack; Cruegarth
Historic CountryCumberland
Modern AuthorityCumbria
1974 AuthorityCumbria
Civil ParishOusby

A pentagonal enclosure consisting of a double bank with ditch between, astride the road from Langwathby to Ousby at Crewgarth. Probably the site of a moated manor house of 12th - 14th century date (i.e. before the Pele tower came into use) An urn, not described, and fragments of ruined walls were found before 1840; the upper half of a quern, a mortar and a possible stone axe were found when levelling the bank before 1884. The latter objects were seen in July 1884 when the society visited the site. Crawford considered the earthwork to be a recent enclosure round a copse.

Detail S.W. of the road destroyed during road improvement (SS 6" (DR Arthur Reviser 6.3.63)).

The feature has been partly destroyed by road re-alignment. Surviving features indicate a weak, ditched enclosure in marshy ground with an out-lying broad ditch, possibly a pond. There is no evidence of a building site but nearby indications of medieval fields and drainage; the whole does not seem of great antiquity or archaeological significance. (PastScape)

in the western extremity of the parish, appear vestiges of an ancient British fort, consisting of an outward and inner rampart, with a ditch between them, and enclosing a pentagonal area, in which an urn, and many fragments of ruined walls have been found. (Mannix & Whellan 1847)

Gatehouse Comments

There is a Castle Slack place-name at NY622352. Jackson writes of a 1236-9 mentioning of 'the dyke of Castelslack' which he writes is perhaps associated with Crewgarth. Most likely a weakly fortified manor house, a precursor to the modern farm. The dismissal of the site by field investigator FRH 08-SEP-67 in the PastScape record seems to ignore well establish historical reports. Presumably the manor house of the manor of Ousby. A C13 knightly effigy is within the parish church.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNY601349
Latitude54.7082901000977
Longitude-2.62053990364075
Eastings360100
Northings534980
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29)
  • Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carlisle: Carel Press)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 95
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Mannix and Whellan, 1847, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Cumberland (Beverley) p.288 online copy
  • Nicolson, Wm, 1877,_Miscellany Accounts of the Diocese of Carlile: With the Terriers Delivered in to Me at My Primary Visitation_ p. 66 online copy

Journals

  • Hudleston, C.R., 1959, 'Cumberland Recusants of 1723-24' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 59 p. 119 online copy
  • Collingwood, W.G., 1930, 'Crewgarth' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 30 p. 132-6 online copy
  • Bower, 1898-9, 'Effigies in the Dioces of Carlisle' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 15 p. 450-1 online copy
  • 1885, 'Excursions and Proceedings' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 8 p. 66 online copy