Muggleswick Monastic Grange


Muggleswick Monastic Grange. © DCC 2005


Muggleswick Monastic Grange. © Ryder, P 2005


Muggleswick Monastic Grange. © Ryder, P 2005


Muggleswick Monastic Grange. © Ryder, P 2005


Muggleswick Monastic Grange. © Ryder, P 2005


Manor House Remains at Priory Farm, Muggleswick 2003


Manor House Remains at Priory Farm, Muggleswick 2003


Manor House Remains at Priory Farm, 2003


Manor House Remains at Priory Farm, Muggleswick 2003

The medieval building at Muggleswick, has been variously termed a monastery, a grange, a hunting lodge and 'the prior's camera'.

Visible remains include two rectangular buildings. The eastern block stands to complete height of nearly 16m at the eastern end but is elsewhere much lower.

Western block survives to 4m at western end but is not visible on surface elsewhere although foundations are thought to survive underground. This building had an undercroft that was at least partly removed in 19th century.

The site is a Listed Building and a Scheduled Monument. (1) (2)

Parts of a monastic grange of 13th century date, situated on the right bank of the Muggleswick Burn at Priory Farm. The standing remains of the monument are Listed Grade I. The grange was built for the priors of Durham by Prior Hugh of Darlington, while he held office between 1258 and 1272, on what is thought to have been the site of an earlier grange. The grange lay within a park, which Prior Hugh was granted permission to enclose in 1259. The buildings remained in use throughout the medieval period; in 1464 a document records that the buildings consisted of a hall, chapel, grange and a dairy. The visible remains of the grange above ground are two rectangular blocks orientated east to west and joined at the south western corner of the smaller, more easterly block. The latter block consists of the remains of a rectangular building 15.1 metre long and 4.4 metres wide within a wall 1.7 metres to 1.8 metres thick. The eastern gable is intact and stands to its full height of 15.5 metres. At the centre of the gable there is a window of 15th century date. The form of the window is thought to indicate that the upper storey was used as a chapel. The south wall of the building stands to a height of 3 metres at its eastern end. The west wall was uncovered by excavations in the late 19th century and was found to be 1.8 metres thick. The north wall stands to a maximum height of 2 metres but is on average 0.7 metres high. The western block is a rectangular building, substantially longer than the eastern. This building originally contained a vaulted undercroft. The western gable of this building stands up to 4 metres high. The western block is thought to have house the main hall of the grange, above vaulted undercrofts. The foundations of the remainder of this building survive below ground level as buried features. (22)