Cressage Old Hall

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Motte)

There are earthwork remains

NameCressage Old Hall
Alternative NamesCrassach
Historic CountryShropshire
Modern AuthorityShropshire
1974 AuthorityShropshire
Civil ParishCressage

Old Hall, a 17th century timber-framed house, stands on the site of a manor-house first mentioned in 1369. It overlooks a ford across the Severn, and occupies the bailey of an early motte-and- bailey castle, the motte of which was partially destroyed when the railway was built. When a garden was being made below the east front of the Hall in 1923, the surface below the lawn was found to be flagged, probably the remains of the paved bottom of the moat (VCH 1968; Wright 1872; Annotated Record Map - L F Chitty 19.2.49)

The Old Hall is now a hotel and has additions to the south-west face making much of the original building. The north-east face appears to be original with timber framing filled with modern brick above the ground floor. Not outstanding.

Only the south-facing scarp of the motte remains, to a height of 3.4m. The rest of the mound has been destroyed by the railway.

An ornamental duckpond at SJ 59270419 represents the remains of the moat, but it does not retain any moat-like features (F1 DRB 25-JAN-71).

Noted in list of moated sites in Shropshire SJ 592042. Dubious, now destroyed (MSRGR 1980). (PastScape)

Fragment of moat (VCH 1908).

The Old Hall (SA 13267) stands on the site of a manor house first mentioned in 1369. It overlooks a ford across the Severn and occupies the bailey of an earlier motte and bailey castle, the motte of which was partially destroyed when the railway was built. When a wall garden below the east front of the Old Hall was being made in 1923 the surface below the present lawn was found to be flagged, probably the remains of the paved bottom of the moat (VCH 1968).

Old Hall (SA 13267) is now an hotel.. Only the south facing scarp of the motte remains to a height of 3.4m at SJ5922 0426. the rest of the mound has been destroyed by the railway

An ornamental duck-pond at SJ59270419 represents the remains of the (supposed) moat but it does not retain any moat-like features (OS FI 1971).

Motte consists of a crescent shaped mound c 20m x 3.5m high, which has a covering of mainly deciduous trees (A Tyler FI 1979).

The site is not a moated site but a motte and bailey. The waterfilled feature in the garden of the Hall, mistaken for a moat, is in fact a section of the bailey ditch(M Watson FI 1980). (Shropshire HER)

Gatehouse Comments

This was a large Domesday manor held by Ranulf Peverel although the vast majority of his 120+ manors were in East Anglia.

- 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 ReferenceSJ592042
Latitude52.6346282958984
Longitude-2.60402011871338
Eastings359220
Northings304260
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p. 69
  • Mitchell, R., 2003, A Short History of the Old Hall and Manor of Cressage (Shrewsbury: Robin Mitchell)
  • Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p. 22
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 424
  • Gaydon, A.T. (ed), 1968, VCH Shropshire Vol. 8 p. 74-5
  • Wall (after Downham), 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol. 1 p. 403
  • Wright, T. 1872, Uriconium p. 47 online copy
  • Eyton, R.W., 1858, Antiquities of Shropshire (London: John Russell Smith) Vol. 6 p. 308- (tenurial history) online copy

Journals

  • 1980, Moated Sites Research Group report Vol. 7 p. 50
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 112 p. 77-124