Details

This monument consists of a moated grange situated north of Hose village and
just to the east of Hose Grange Farm.
The site is roughly rectangular, originally surrounded by a moat but only the
eastern and western arms are clearly visible today as ponds. The approximate
overall dimensions of the site are 65m east-west, and 50m north-south, the
ponds measure 10-12m wide. Connecting the ponds are narrow ditches 0.5m deep,
following the north and south arms of the moat. The surface of the island,
contained by the moat is uneven, suggesting the presence of building
foundations.
A 16th century reference to a grange belonging to Croxton Abbey has been
identified as being at Hose. The modern survival of the name Grange Farm adds
further support to the site being a medieval grange of Croxton Abbey l0km to
the east.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

A monastic grange was a farm owned and run by a monastic community and
independent of the secular manorial system of communal agriculture and servile
labour. The function of granges was to provide food and raw materials for
consumption within the parent monastic house itself, and also to provide
surpluses for sale for profit. The first monastic granges appeared in the 12th
century but they continued to be constructed and used until the Dissolution.
This system of agriculture was pioneered by the Cistercian order but was soon
imitated by other orders. Some granges were worked by resident lay-brothers
(secular workers) of the order but others were staffed by non-resident
labourers. The majority of granges practised a mixed economy but some were
specialist in their function. Five types of grange are known: agrarian farms,
bercaries (sheep farms), vaccaries (cattle ranches), horse studs and
industrial complexes. A monastery might have more than one grange and the
wealthiest houses had many. Frequently a grange was established on lands
immediately adjacent to the monastery, this being known as the home grange.
Other granges, however, could be found wherever the monastic site held lands.
On occasion these could be located at some considerable distance from the
parent monastery. Granges are broadly comparable with contemporary secular
farms although the wealth of the parent house was frequently reflected in the
size of the grange and the layout and architectural embellishment of the
buildings. Additionally, because of their monastic connection, granges tend to
be much better documented than their secular counterparts. No region was
without monastic granges. The exact number of sites which originally existed
is not precisely known but can be estimated, on the basis of numbers of
monastic sites, at several thousand. Of these, however, only a small
percentage can be accurately located on the ground today. Of this group of
identifiable sites, continued intensive use of many has destroyed much of the
evidence of archaeological remains. In view of the importance of granges to
medieval rural and monastic life, all sites exhibiting good archaeological
survival are identified as nationally important.

Identified medieval grange farms are a relatively rare feature in the
Leicestershire landscape. The grange site at Hose contains two water filled
ponds giving the site potential for the preservation of organic material,
while former buildings are likely to survive below the surface of the moat
island. The grange is associated with Croxton Abbey, an important 12th
century priory of Premonstratensian Canons.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Nichols, J, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicestershire, (1811), 219

Source: Historic England