Ravensthorpe Manor House (site)

 ruins, moat, ghost town

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The ancient vill of Ravensthorpe has disappeared, but the moat, which once nearly surrounded its ancient manor-house, may still be traced in a field near to Ravensthorpe Mill, one mile S of Boltby. Ravensthorpe in Boltby at SE 481866 (properly SE 495850), is mentioned in the Domesday Book, but in 1301 only as a manor. In 1272 it consisted of a capital massuage and six tofts, with a watermill. An inquisition post mortem of 1308 shows that it had 24 bovates of demesne land; one free tenant; five bondmen holding four bovates each, and three holding three bovates each: there were also 29 cottars. The watermill was worth #5 pa.

The manor house enclosure is roughly 'heart-shaped' in plan with an incomplete north side. It is formed by a dry moat of average width 8.0m with a scarp and inner bank of 2.6m and 0.5m respectively, and a counterscarp of 1.7m. The house itself probably stood on a natural knoll at the northeast extremity of the moat where vague traces of foundations survive, rather than at the published position. There are no other visible remains of the associated deserted medieval village.

www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=55498