The Gatehouse website record for Leigh Barton Grange, Churchstow

In the civil parish of Churchstow. In the historic county of Devon (Modern Authority of Devon, 1974 county of Devon).

The site of a fortified medieval farmhouse at Leigh Barton, formerly a grange of Buckfast, including the south and west building ranges of the house, a gatehouse, section of curtain wall and fishpond in addition to buried remains beneath the Grade I Listed house. The medieval house formed a U-plan with the present farmhouse range to the north. The house has a rectangular, three room through-passage plan, and appears to have followed a fairly typical pattern of development for a Devon farmhouse of which eight major phases have been identified. The first is known only from archaeological excavation and the evidence includes post holes, stakeholes, and a wicker-lined pit which represent two phases of substantial wooden buildings which pre-date the earliest surviving stone built phase. The second phase saw the construction of a open halled stone building belonging to the late medieval period. The third phase is also late medieval and included the insertion of a garderobe. The fourth phase was the final medieval one, when a stone stair was added together with a first floor partition. The fifth phase witnessed the insertion of the fine C16 timber screen, together with flooring over the passage, and the addition of a two storey porch. The sixth phase probably dates to the late C16 and seems to have been primarily concerned with altering the developments made during the earlier part of the same century. In phase seven, which probably dates to the mid C17, practically the whole of the structure east of the cross passage was rebuilt. The open hall and any room(s) beyond were replaced by two rooms on each of two floors. Phase eight dates from C18 and included numerous minor alterations including the enlargement of window embrasures and insertion of new doors. The curtain wall and gatehouse were added in the C15 or early part of C16 along with the pair of ranges associated with the farmhouse, which were restored in 1984-6. (PastScape)
Although Hamilton's History of Buckfast Abbey suggests this as a country retreat of the Abbot of Buckfast Abbey in the early C15, it seems to have been held by the Legh family, as free tenants, and the development of the property was theirs.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX72024671

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 444410
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.

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
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.

It is an offence to disturb a Scheduled Monument without consent. It is a destruction of everyone's heritage to remove archaeological evidence from any site without proper recording and reporting. Don't use metal detectors on historic sites without authorisation.

Please help me to make this as useful a resource as possible by contacting me if you see errors or if you can add information.
I do acknowledge the help I get with this site.

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