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Crummock Water Manor House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Loweswater Pele

In the civil parish of Loweswater.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY14952021
Latitude 54.57083° Longitude -3.31465°

Crummock Water Manor House has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are masonry footings remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

Description

The moated site of Loweswater Peel is an unusual example of this class of monument. A natural feature - in this case a low hillock protruding into the lake - was modified by the cutting of ditches on its landward side, to create a moated site. The effort required was minimal but the result strikingly effective. The hillock will contain evidence of the medieval structure known to have existed here in the 12th century.
The monument includes the site of a medieval moated manor house known as Loweswater Pele, thought to be the home of Ranulphe de Lindesaye and his wife who were connected with Loweswater during the mid-12th century. It is situated on the western shore of Crummock Water on a rounded natural hillock which forms a peninsula of firm ground jutting into the lake. This peninsula is defended on the landward side by a system of banks and ditches; the ditches remain predominantly waterlogged. These earthworks are best preserved at the southern end where they comprise two ditches, or moats; the inner measures 11.5m wide the outer measures 6m wide. These are separated by an earthen bank 3.5m wide and up to 1.5m high. In addition there is a short length of outer bank approximately 60m long measuring 6m wide and up to 1.5m wide. The inner bank and moat continue northwards along the base of the hillock for approximately 170m with the bank itself gradually reducing in height and width before fading out altogether. The northern part of the hillock is defended by marshy ground within which no earthworks can now be seen. The manor house is thought to have been located on the lake side where there are the rectangular foundations of a hollow measuring 26m by 12m which has been interpreted as the cellar of a building. The Ordnance Survey maps, however, locate a 'peel' some 120m further west on the opposite side of the hillock where a ruined farmbuilding considered to be a successor to the earlier structure now stands. Adjoining this ruin are a number of other ruined structures and terraces cut into the hillslope which are interpreted as the site of outbuildings associated with the ruined farm. (Scheduling Report)
Comments

Most archaeological databases call this site 'Loweswater Pele' but Gatehouse uses that name for a nearby possible pele tower. The possibility for confusion is obvious and care needs to be taken in regard to these sites and their associated records. The Crummock Water site is large and this possible pele is within the larger defensive circuit. It could, therefore, be contemporary with the manor house and represent ancillary accommodation.
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

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Sources of information, references and further reading
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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.
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This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:21:53

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