Ingarsby Monks Grave

Has been described as a Questionable Timber Castle (Motte)

There are earthwork remains

NameIngarsby Monks Grave
Alternative Names
Historic CountryLeicestershire
Modern AuthorityLeicestershire
1974 AuthorityLeicestershire
Civil ParishHungarton

Medieval moat, formerly considered as a C12 adulterine motte, surviving as an earthwork. The moat is sub circular and approximately 50m in diameter with a surrounding ditch 8-12m wide and up to 2m deep. The moat island forms a raised platform about 1m above ground level with an outer bank 4m wide and 1.5m high on the north-eastern side which terminates 5m from a field boundary and indicates the position of an entrance. (PastScape)

Monk's Grave' is a relatively small mound with a ring ditch, but with no bailey ditch. It is very similar in form to the Kibworth Harcourt earthwork. Other ideas such as a hermitage or barrow have been put forward. (Knox 2015)

Gatehouse Comments

Ingarsby Old Hall is the manorial centre and this site does not appear to be a precursor. Creighton suggest this as a motte of the Anarchy but the position of the mound, on a hillside beside a bridal way (which can never have been a major route) is not suggestive of such a thing. Ingarsby Old Hall is clearly sited in a much better position both tactically and strategically. The position of Monk's Grave seems more like that of a barrow, although it would be large for a barrow and is clearly not just a barrow. Certainly a report of a shard of Iron Age pottery apparently dug out from within the mound by badgers might cast some doubt on a C12 construction date. Was it adapted or built as some sort farmstead or small sub-grange (The name is local and probably derives from an association with the Leicester Abbey Grange at Ingarsby Old Hal - PastScape). Hermitages were an occasional part of high status landscapes, was this some sort of Hermitage?

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSK681048
Latitude52.637451171875
Longitude-0.994360029697418
Eastings468150
Northings304890
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
Copyright Dave Barlow of Abaroths World All rights reserved View full Sized Image
Copyright Dave Barlow of Abaroths World All rights reserved View full Sized Image
Copyright Dave Barlow of Abaroths World All rights reserved View full Sized Image

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Books

  • Knox, Richard, 2015, 'The medieval fortified sites of Leicestershire and Rutland' in Medieval Leicestershire: Recent research on the Medieval Archaeology of Leicester (Liecestershire Fieldworks 3) p. 123-42 esp 138
  • Cantor, Leonard, 2003, The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Leicestershire and Rutland (Leicester: Kairos Press) p. 65
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 36
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 254
  • Wall, C., 1907, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Page, Wm, (ed), VCH Leicestershire Vol. 1 p. 264 online copy

Journals

  • Creighton, O.H., 1997, 'Early Leicestershire Castles: Archaeology and Landscape History' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 71 p. 29, 31 online copy
  • Jarvis, 1985, 'A sherd of iron-age pottery from Hungarton' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Natural History Society Vol. 59 p. 91-2 online copy
  • Cantor, Leonard, 1977-8, 'The Medieval Castles of Leicestershire' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 53 p. 38 online copy
  • Hoskins, 1956, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 32 p. 47 online copy

Other

  • Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk East Midlands Register 2016 (London: Historic England) p. 19 online copy
  • Historic England, 2015, Heritage at Risk East Midlands Register 2015 (London: Historic England) p. 20 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 East Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 18 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2013, Heritage at Risk Register 2013 East Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 20 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 East Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 34 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 East Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 32 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 East Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 28 online copy
  • Creighton, O.H., 1998, Castles and Landscapes: An Archaeological Survey of Yorkshire and the East Midlands (PhD Thesis University of Leicester) p. 67, 73, 294, 297, 389 online copy