| Summary : The medieval village of Coates was recorded in the late 11th century as a small settlement of about six households, by the early 14th century it had more than doubled in size. In the late 12th century the church and land at Coates were given to Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, who may have established a grange here. The village was depopulated by the Black Death in the mid-14th century. Approximately 30 metres to the west of St Edith's churchyard are earthworks and buried remains of a moated manorial complex, possibly a grange of Welbeck Abbey established in the late 12th century.The moated complex, which formerly extended over the area now occupied by Coates Hall and Hall Farm, is believed to have been constructed on the site of the earlier medieval settlement at Coates. The Church of St Edith was thus enclosed within the complex. The main area of the medieval settlement remains is located east of the moated complex on the north side of the present road to Grange Farm. They take the form of a series of substantial earthworks and associated buried remains, including a linear hollow way. Rectangular ditched enclosures ranged alond each side of the street represent house plots, within which are the earth covered remains of houses and outbuildings, while sunken areas indicate yards and ponds. To the north of the northern range of house plots is a series of larger rectangular enclosures within which the low earthworks of ridge and furrow cultivation are evident; these represent paddocks laid out in the medieval period over earlier arable land. Scheduled. |
More information : [SK 9078 8306] MOAT [G.T.] (1)
[Area SK 914 835] Cotes by Stow is mentioned as early
as 1086 and, in 1377, 17 paid tax. (2-3)
One pasture field, at SK 9115 8328, shows evidence of considerable
desertion with streets, steadings and building sites. The field to
the West continued the pattern but the earthworks have been filled in
and ploughed over. Coates, however, retains its name, church, hall,
two large farms and several cottages. It can be considered at least a
hamlet, reducing the archaeological features to contraction.
The published 25" survey of the surviving portion of moat was
revised. (4)
The Medieval settlement and possible moat referred to by the
previous authority have been the subject of a detailed ground
survey and historical research. For a full description see
reference 5. The field evidence suggests that the west end of the
settlement may have been a manorial block. The L shaped moat may
have formed part of a manorial complex. In view of the documentary
evidence it may have been part of a monastic grange, or even an
ornamental features belonging to a post dissolution residence.
(5)
The Medieval settlement and Post Medieval moat referred to by the
previous authorities have also been mapped from good quality air
photographs. The settlement is focused on a well defined east-west
oriented hollow way, 430m long, centred at SK 9109 8327. Flanking
this are the remains of tofts and crofts. Possible crew yards are
visible in two of the tofts centred at SK 9113 8327 and
SK 9114 8321. A number of platforms, possibly the remains of
buildings, are also visible within the tofts and are centred at
SK 9103 8328, SK 9108 8333 and SK 9119 8326. The features at the
west end and south of the hollow way have been ploughed and some
are visible as cropmarks. Possible crofts were seen as cropmarks,
to the north west of the church, centred at SK 9070 8318. Ridge
and furrow is visible to the north and east of the Medieval
settlement centred at SK 9112 8343 and SK 9163 8336. The two arms
of the moat referred to by the previous authority are centred at
SK 9076 8304. (Morph No. LI.621.1.1, 2.1-15, 3.1)
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database.
(6) |