Wragby Rout Yard

In the civil parish of Wragby. In the historic county of Lincolnshire (Modern Authority of Lincolnshire, 1974 county of Lincolnshire).

The remains of a medieval manorial complex. In 1086 there were two manors at Wragby in the possession of Erenis of Buron and Waldin the Artificer. The surviving remains are thought to represent the manor held by Erenis of Buron which included responsibility for a church. The monument takes the form of two moated islands and associated ditched enclosures, known as 'Rout Yard'. The islands lie adjacent to each other on a north-south alignment and are roughly rectangular in plan standing 2m above the surrounding ground level. The northern island measures 60m by 40m, and the southern island measures 50m by 40m. The southern moat arm of the southern island is lined by an internal bank with a roughly square embanked enclosure, measuring 6m in width, at the south eastern corner of the island thought to represent a building platform. The islands are enclosed by a broad, dry moat measuring 10-12m in width and up to 1 metre in depth. Two ditches are linked to the north west corner of the moat. One curves round to the north east and defines the northern edge of an enclosed area on the north side of the moat with low banks indicating the eastern edge of the enclosure; low earthworks and hollows are visible within the enclosure, which is thought to represent a paddock or yard associated with the manor house. The other ditch, shown on early maps and now visible as a shallow depression, leads to the north west where it is thought to represent the remains of another enclosure. Further remains include the cropmarks of a hollow way and the levelled earthworks of two rectangular fishponds. Is this a ringwork and bailey converted into moated manor house?

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF13517774

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 351496
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 43631 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p69 [slight]
• Journal Articles
  • Everson, P., 1981, Lincolnshire History and Archaeology Vol16 p19-21
    1972-3, Medieval Village Research Group annual report Vol20-1 p23)
    1966, Lincolnshire History and Archaeology Vol1 p49
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • English Heritage. 1999. Revised scheduling document 31624. MPP 23