This was a dedicated community project for the Quantocks Landscape Partnership Scheme and we called on volunteers to join us as we went in search of a 13th century medieval manor in the grounds of Crowcombe Court and its beautiful setting in the Quantocks. 

The excavation ran from 29th June to 15th July 2022  (excluding the weekend of July 9th-10th) with an Open Day on 16th July. 

The manor is first mentioned in documentary records in 1295 but was demolished by 1724 when the present Crowcombe Court was built. An estate map in 1764 shows a formal garden which was known to have been laid out in 1676 by John Carew around or adjoining the manor house. The garden is depicted just north of the present Church of the Holy Ghost and is marked on a late Victorian map as the location of the manor.

A recent LiDAR survey and geophysical survey has identified the garden and we spotted two possible areas on the geophysical plot that could represent rubble spreads relating to the manor and these were targeted for excavation. This comprised 2 no. 10m long x 5m wide trenches which were machine stripped of turf and topsoil just prior to the excavation team arriving.

The results of the excavation will appear here shortly...