Priors Hall (EHER 200)

A house, timber-framed barn, outbuildings and earthworks on a moated site. Slightly to the south east of the centre of the moated island are the standing remains of a pre-Conquest manorial church now called Prior's Hall, built of stone in the 10th or 11th century. It was converted into an open hall house in the 14th century and altered again in the 16th,17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The manorial church forms only a part of what would have been a much larger manorial complex which probably survive as buried features. The manorial complex was incorporated into a medieval grange when the site and its lands were transferred to the prior of St Valery-sur-Somme in Picardy, France, after the Norman Conquest. The property was confiscated by Edward III in 1377 and given to the Bishop of Winchester, William of Wykeham, the founder of New College Oxford. The site passed to New College in 1379 at which time it was reorganised. Dating either from the time of the grange or the college farm and situated towards the north west corner of the island, is a later 14th or 15th century timber framed barn. Immediately south of Prior's Hall is a 15th century building which is also timber framed and was originally a brew house. The south western part of the island is occupied by some large modern barns, modern agricultural installations and a swimming pool.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Prior's Hall (NAT). <1> Prior's Hall, at one time called Stone Hall because its walls are said to be of 13th century stone (but there is no visible detail of that date). The manor was owned by the Prior of St Valery in Picardy until the late 14th century. In the 16th and 18th centuries the house was greatly altered and is now a farmhouse in good condition (Grade II). It stands with its 15th century outbuilding and great barn in a roughly rectangular moated enclosure, the north of which is partly filled in. The visible structure belongs predominantly to the 16th to 18th centuries. <2> - <5> House retains 13th century stonework. This building was much altered in the 16th century when the upper storey and chimneystack were inserted. A wing was added in the 18th century. The 13th century walls are concealed behind the present plaster. Outbuildings to the south of the hall comprise a long building of 15th century with a 17th to 18th century wing extending to the north. At one time it was used as a brewhouse. Grade II*. <6> <7> Priors Hall, Barn and Moat, Widdington - Scheduled. <8> House on moated site, probably built as a chapel in the 10th or 11th century and converted into an open hall house in the 14th century. Now L-shaped in plan, with the chapel forming the east wing. The west wing was added in the late 17th to early 18th century, with a kitchen and service rooms to the rear. Altered and extended in the 19th century. The timber-framed barn to the north west is mid 14th century in date. A 15th century outbuilding is recorded separately. Listed Grade I. <9> The oak used to construct the barn was derived from around 400 trees and comprises around 900 separate pieces of timber. It stands today almost as it did when it was first built, with the exception of the absence of a timber partition wall which originally separated the barn into three and five bays. <10> February 1975. Field survey. Published 1:2500 survey revised. <11> December 1976. Scheduled monument notification. Slightly to the south-east of the centre of the moated island are the standing remains of a pre-Conquest manorial church now called Prior's Hall, built of stone in the 10th or 11th century. It was altered in the 16th and 18th century and has now been converted to form part of a house. Part excavation to the east of the house has shown that the building once extended considerably further to the east. Prior's Hall was known as Stone Hall at one time no doubt because of this early stone building. The manorial church forms only a part of what would have been a much larger manorial complex which will survive as buried features. The manorial complex was incorporated into a medieval grange when the site and its lands were transferred to the prior of St Valery-sur-Somme in Picardy, France, after the Norman Conquest. The property was confiscated by Edward III in 1377 and given to the Bishop of Winchester, William of Wykeham, the founder of New College Oxford. The site passed to New College in 1379 at which time it was reorganised. Detailed records kept by New College show that it was still the centre of an important agricultural estate. Dating either from the time of the grange or the college farm and situated towards the north west corner of the island, is a later 14th century timber framed barn in the care of the Secretary of State. <12> 1989. Building survey. The internal structure of the house was examined at the east gable end to establish the dates of a base of a doorway in the centre of the gable partially obscured by a stair, and a small round headed window near the apex of the gable, visible from within the attic space. Render stripped from the north-east corner of the hall revealed long and short quoins of Barnack stone, which were not square. Tooling marks consisted of shallow grooves along the long faces of the stones. The wall fabric was flint rubble set in a sandy mortar. The doorway was exposed by limited render removal and extensive lathe and plaster stripping above the stairs. The three stone jambs were laid in Escomb fashion standing on a stone block plinth. The semi-circular head of the doorway consisted of nine Barnack voussoirs - all apparently of different size and shape. The building was originally a two-celled structure, with the walls of the eastern cell stepped in from the western cell by one walls width. The eastern cell was possibly deliberately tapered but equally there may have been an error in laying out the plan, or earlier structures were being avoided. All four walls of the western cell remain in the present building though doorways have been cut through. The conclusion that this building was a church is highly likely although there are no surviving secular buildings of pre-Conquest date. In this case the doorway in the east gable would have been a very small chancel arch. However, it raises questions about the relationship with the existing parish church. It may have been a private chapel that did not continue after change of ownership post-Conquest. <13> 1990. Watching brief. A watching brief on a trench south of the farm for drainage produced a single fragment of medieval tile. In the barn a narrow trench across the floor revealed a possible pit that produced some early medieval pottery. An illustration of the pottery was attached. <14> 2004. Watching brief. Under floor clearance within a ground floor room at the east end of the house has revealed the presence of 18th century brick foundations probably associated with an earlier floor. Test pitting around the outside of the house revealed medieval features containing evidence of domestic cooking activity dating to the 12th and early 13th century; perhaps originating from a nearby kitchen structure. <15> 2007. Watching brief. Monitoring of extensive building works within the yard and garden as well as within the house has revealed remains of the demolished 17th to 18th century wing of an outbuilding to the south of the house. Within the wing were brick structural remains, possibly ovens/chimneys. In the Drawing Room of the house 18th century dwarf brick walls (floor supports) were revealed that link with those recorded in the adjacent room in 2004. <16> See also: <17> - <21>