The Gatehouse website record for Melton Mowbray

In the civil parish of Melton Mowbray. In the historic county of Leicestershire (Modern Authority of Leicestershire, 1974 county of Leicestershire).

Possible site for the manor house of the Mowbray's (Molbrai), which, considering the status of the family (Earls of Northumberland), may well have been fortified, has been identified at 5 King Street. Surveys of 5 King Street show it to be part of an early medieval open-halled house. Alterations to number 16 Church Street revealed a medieval circular stone wall subjected to considerable heat. This is probably the `Manor Oven' mentioned in C13 documents. It may be part of the castle or fortified Manor of the Mowbrays, which existed in C14. King Richard and King John visited the town and may have stayed at an earlier castle. Personally I feel it is likely that Melton Mowbray, as an important pre-Conquest town and manor of the powerful Molbrai's probably did have an early castle but this would have been near the church and was probably superceeded by the C14 manor house. The few vague historical references to a castle at Melton have been used support the identification of 'The Mount' (qv) as a castle. In my view the manor house was probably sited beside the church in what later became the Swan Inn. The Old Courthouse, Church Lane shows the continuation of this site as a court site. This would not include King Street, which is the other side of the market place and the remains here are presumably not of the manor house.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK753192

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 520824
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

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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.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.