| Summary : The buried and earthwork remains of the medieval moated site of a prebendary manor house belonging to York Minster, located on the western outskirts of Riccall village. Upon the island there is a building that incorporates substantial remains of a late medieval brick-built manor house. The manor of Riccall was held by the Archbishop of York from before the Domesday Survey. The prebendal manor house was in existence by 1294, when it was first documented and a licence to crenellate was granted in 1350. The oldest part of the existing house is a brick-built, three storey tower with a five stage turret dated to circa 1480. The manor and moated site passed to the Wormley family in 1651, who in 1654 made Riccall Hall, 700 metres to the south east, their main residence. In 1869 the manor house was enlarged to serve as a vicarage and is now in use as a private house. The moated island is 60 metres by 80 metres, orientated NNW-SSE. It is rhomboidal in plan with the western side being 90 metres long, and the eastern side 70 metres. The upstanding late medieval building is sited centrally on the western side of the island. The encircling moat ditch is broad and deep, typically 20 metres wide and was originally at least 2 metres deep. The northern and eastern moat arms survive best; the south western part of the circuit survives mainly as an infilled feature, modified by 19th century lanscaping. The field to the west of the monument is lower than the island and, as a result, the western moat arm is defined on its outer western side by a bank. |
More information : (SE 616380) Moats (NR). (SE 61573801) Vicarage and remains of (NAT)
Manor House (NR). (1)
The Prebendal Manor House is a large red brick building, apparently 17th century, with parts of a considerably earlier date. It had two round towers, one of which still remains. The whole building is surrounded by a moat. (2)
13/97 II The Vicarage or Old
Prebendal Manor
House of 1869 incorporating substantial remains of a remarkable red brick mediaeval house. Front. Ground floor has C19 door and window with C19 tiled canopy over. Original paired brick corner buttresses to right. Left hand part has plain projecting portion about eight feet wide with no window on ground floor, but with one original pointed window on first floor. Hipped brick roof over that, then about 2 feet of brickwork to eaves. Main part has two pointed brick windows on each floor. Eaves, tile roof. Side to right has five storey projecting tower, square at base, octagonal further up, small slit windows. To left a projecting chimney breast, and to left again an original brick pointed window, with two more above. Paired brick corner buttresses with two offsets. Returning to the front, the return side to the left has a plain gable, one small pointed window on third floor. One buttress with two offsets. (3)
The prebendal manor house was mentioned circa 1295 and licence to crenellate it was granted in 1350. The present house was enlarged to serve as the vicarage in 1869 but retains the eastern end of a 15th century building, including a three-storeyed brick tower block, with projecting garderobe and stair turrets. There are slight remains of the moat which once surrounded the house. (4)
SE 616381. Moated site at Riccall. Demense manor house of York prebendary. (5)
(SE 616380) Moat (NR). Manor House (NR) (remains of). (6)
The moated site, as described, is visible as an earthwork on air photographs, and was recorded as part of the Vale of York project. (8) |