Sockburn Hall, Darlington: an archaeological ... - English Heritage

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Figure 1. Location map. (This plan is based on the OS map with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number: GD03085G) .Introduction Between January and March 2007 English Heritage undertook archaeological survey and investigations at Sockburn Hall, and more particularly within the pasture and garden areas immediately adjacent to the ruins of All Saints’ Church which lie a little to the south of the present country house. The church and hall occupy the southern tip of the historic township of Sockburn, part of a wider parish of the same name, which is contained within a pendulous loop of the River Tees protruding deep intoYorkshire’s old North Riding. Sockburn is now contained within the Borough of Darlington, but it was formerly the most southerly parish in County Durham. The focus of the survey is the area presently designated as a scheduled monument (Durham 40) which includes the roofed and ruined portions of All Saints’ Church and the earthworks that surround the church on all sides, reaching their greatest extent to the south and west. Previous archaeological interest at Sockburn has mainly concentrated on the pre-Conquest origin of the church and the remarkable collection of Viking orAnglo-Scandinavian cross fragments and hogback stones assembled in the rebuilt Conyers Chapel. These features, and fragmentary documentary references, suggest that Sockburn was significant ecclesiastical centre in the Anglo-Saxon period and later the hub of a powerfulViking estate. After the Norman Conquest this estate, or something based upon it,became the seat of the Conyers,one of the most powerful baronial families in the County Palatine of Durham. Whereas the extent and nature River Tees Richmond Catterick Garrison Darlington Catterick Croft River Swale 0 5 10km River Skorne Hurworth Neasham Middleton St George River Tees Sockburn Stocktonon-Tees River Wiske Northallerton ENGLISH HERITAGE Sockburn Yarm River Leven Hutton Rudby
Figure 2. Map of the Sockburn environs. The modern parish of Girsby was formerly a township within the parish of Sockburn, even though it lay on the ‘Yorkshire’ side of the Tees. Part of Sockburn Township also lay to the east of the river as shown on the 1840 tithe map (DDR/ EA/TTH/1/215) and this determined the former position of the county boundary. The detached portion of Sockburn was recently transferred to Girsby parish, and the county boundary redrawn along the centre of the river (HMSO 1991) (This plan is based on the OS map with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number: GD03085G) of the preceding settlements has remained largely conjectural, the manors, gardens and farms belonging to the Conyers and their successors have left clear marks on the peninsula in the form of earthworks and standing buildings. However, compared to other notable pre-Conquest locations in the region,such as Staindrop and Gainsford,the subsequent development of Sockburn has been quite limited, and suggests favourable circumstances for the survival of buried evidence. Hence Sockburn is considered to be a very important site – one capable of answering crucial questions about the forces of change affecting a significant estate centre between the 8th and 11th centuries, as well as the ensuing development of that estate through the later medieval and post- medieval periods. The future preservation and management of the scheduled monument was addressed in a conservation statement in 2003 (Cramp & Wilson). This set out a requirement for new research to increase understanding of the site, as well as policies aimed at improving the condition, interpretation and presentation of the archaeological and architectural remains. The survey described and discussed here is a central element in this research. This report provides an interpretation of the archaeological features recorded across the area of the former manor house and its associated gardens, and throughout the parkland established around the later Sockburn Hall. It is based on a detailed investigation of the visible remains, principally earthworks, incorporating and expanding upon the results of a geophysical survey conducted by GSB Prospection Ltd 40m 30m 20m Darlington Borough (formerly Co. Durham) High Sockburn The Grey Stone 50m Sockburn Farm 40m 30m 20m Girsby Bridge Sockburn CP Hall Church (remains of) Girsby River Tees Church 20m 30m East Sockburn Farm ENGLISH HERITAGE Sockburn 40m 40m Staindale Grange Key Girsby Grange Girsby CP 50m Staindale Beck 40m North Yorkshire Area of survey Woodland Modern county boundary Roman Road Former township and county boundary 0 1km
Page 1 and 2: RESEARCH DEPARTMENT REPORT SERIES n
Page 3 and 4: The end-beast from a hogback grave
Page 5 and 6: List of illustrations Cover: Sockbu
Page 7: Summary In the early months of 2007
Page 11 and 12: Figure 3. Sockburn Hall stands alon
Page 13 and 14: Figure 4. RCHME 1:2500 survey of th
Page 15 and 16: Figure 6. The ruined nave of All Sa
Page 17 and 18: The worm legend itself may be no mo
Page 19 and 20: Figure 7. Knowles’ (1905) plan of
Page 21 and 22: Figure 10. Extract from the 1840 ti
Page 23 and 24: three tofts, a mill, an orchard (or
Page 25 and 26: Figure 14. Sockburn Hall viewed fro
Page 27 and 28: Figure 17. Sockburn as mapped at 25
Page 29 and 30: Figure 19. Extract from the Sockbur
Page 31 and 32: Key 3 Edge of survey Fence Park rai
Page 33 and 34: Key Archaeological remains Possible
Page 35 and 36: Figure 24. Aerial photograph taken
Page 37 and 38: stood in the late 17th century, whi
Page 39 and 40: Figure 25. The springhead vault (fe
Page 41 and 42: Figure 27. The western bridge abutm
Page 43 and 44: at Sockburn, was retained together
Page 45 and 46: Figure 30. The brickbuilt extension
Page 47 and 48: . Discussion An Anglian minster? Th
Page 49 and 50: Scandinavian lordship Sockburn disa
Page 51 and 52: eadily identifiable) had previously
Page 53 and 54: mile beyond Great Smeaton - quite p
Page 55 and 56: greater privacy as well as a romant
Page 57 and 58: . Survey methodology The earthwork
Page 59 and 60:
Clegg, B M 1910 A Sketch of the His
Page 61 and 62:
Lang,JT 1972 Illustrative carving o
Page 63 and 64:
EP/Soc 2/1 Copy of instrument subst
Page 65 and 66:
acquire the lease within the proces
Page 67 and 68:
8 (290) 10th century. 1 Recorded 9
Page 69 and 70:
Figure 32. Cross-shaft fragment (Co
Page 71 and 72:
the right-hand half (viewed from fo
Page 73 and 74:
Figure 34. Plan of All saints’ ch
Page 75 and 76:
the Tees at Girsby, within sight of
Page 77 and 78:
Feb y . 9 th . 1786. Aged 20 Years
Page 79 and 80:
Here lieth Interred y e body of RIC
Page 81 and 82:
Condition: Good. Legible text. ----
Page 83 and 84:
Condition: Eroded, surface flaked,
Page 85 and 86:
Appendix . Concordances & Archive T
Page 87 and 88:
ETRS89: Latitude 540 27’ 25.00108
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Sockburn Hall, Darlington: an archaeological ... - English Heritage

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