Summary

The below ground remains of a former late-C13/early-C14 chapel.

Source: Historic England

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the below ground remains of a former chapel of circa late-C13 date.

DETAILS: broadly rectangular on plan, the medieval chapel was constructed of rubble stone, the footings of which survive below ground. Post-holes were found at the east end during a limited excavation and evaluation in 2006. Further medieval structural remains probably survive below ground elsewhere within the monument. Remains in the west end include a pre-1790 stone-lined drain, an eighteenth century cobble and stone chip floor, eighteenth century footings and a nineteenth/ twentieth century drain. In the central bay is evidence of a nineteenth/ twentieth century cobble floor. The full extent of the medieval chapel is not known. Finds on the site have mainly been eighteenth or nineteenth century earthenware, although a small number have been of sixteenth or seventeenth century date.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: a buffer of 2m is included all around the monument for the support and preservation of the site.

EXCLUSIONS: all above ground structures.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The below ground remains of the former medieval chapel at Membury Court, Membury, Devon, is included on the Schedule for the following principal reasons: * Period/ Representativity: this is a representative example of a medieval manorial chapel with reasonable survival for its type and locality;
* Rarity: early-medieval chapel sites are relatively uncommon;
* Survival/ Condition: archaeological evaluation has demonstrated that part of the footings survives reasonably well;
* Potential: the site has potential for adding to our understanding of medieval construction techniques and the evolution of early medieval manorial sites.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Websites
Devon and Dartmoor HER: MDV5621 - Chapel and Cider House, Membury Court, accessed 19/02/2015 from http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MDV5621&resourceID=104
Other
An archaeological evaluation of Membury Court Chapel and Cider House, Stewart Brown Associates, 2006
Membury Court, Devon: Medieval House and Chapel, J Thorp, 1993

Source: Historic England