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MORLEYS HALL

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DESCRIPTION

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Early 19th century hall standing on the central island of a well-defined, waterlogged medieval moat. The original medieval timber hall was visited by Leland in 1540 and parts of the timber framing survive in the fabric of the present hall.

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(SJ 68969927) Morley's Hall (NAT) (on site of) Hall
(NR) Moat (NR) (1)

Leland refers to the house at Morley as 'an all timber building
on stone foundations which rises 6ft above the water of a great
moat' (2a). A catholic priest was apprehended there circa 1641 (3). (2-3)

The present Morley's Hall is largely modern, but probably
fragments of the original building are incorporated in the
fabric.

The moat is well-defined and water filled.
Published survey (1:1250) correct. (4)

Morley's Hall. Listed Grade II*. (5)

SJ 6896 9926. The sub-rectangular island on which the early 19th
century Morley's Hall stands is surrounded by a spring-fed
waterlogged moat 12-15m wide and 3m deep with an inlet at the at the
north-eastern corner and an outlet at the south-eastern corner. The
moat widens at the south-eastern corner into a `Cheshire Bulge' -
traditionally considered to be a watering place for dairy cattle.
Access to the island is by a late medieval brick and sandstone bridge
that replaced an earlier timber drawbridge.

The Morley family were living here by 1303. At the time of Henry VII
(1485-1509) the hall passed to the Leyland family. John Leland
visited in 1540 and described the hall as a timber building on a
stone foundation, and surrounded by a moat. The hall passed by
marriage to the Tyldesleys on 1564. In 1641 the Benedictine monk
Ambrose Barlow was arrested here and martyred at Lancaster. The House
was sold to the Leghs in 1755 before passing to the Wilkinsons. It
was largely rebuilt in 1804, although it retains much timber framing
of the earlier buildings. The moat is scheduled.(6)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1929

( 2a) General reference

Leland Book 5 Fol 83

( 2) General reference

VCH Lancs 3 1907 447 (W Farrer and J Brownbill)

( 3) General reference

Manchester Evening Chronicle April 30 1951

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 BHP 14-JAN-76

(5) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

DoE Listings Manchester District of Wigan Leigh 27-JUL-1987 37

(6) General reference

English Heritage Scheduling Amendment 7/12/92

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