Moorend Castle Yardley Gobion
notes by Dorothy Warren

Nothing is known of the castle built by de Ferrers, but it was probably never completed by him, as in 1348 the plague known as the Black Death swept across England, brought by soldiers returning from the French wars, and perhaps a third of the entire population of the country died. No statistics are available to show how this part of England was affected, but it is not likely that Yardley would escape entirely, situated on or near two main roads only 60 miles from London. There is a certain amount of evidence that Furtho became depopulated and abandoned at this time. Thomas de Ferrers however did survive the Plague, and when he died in 1353 his property eventually came to a Sir Edward Despencer whose widow and son in 1363 gave Moor End to Edward III in return for land at Burley in Rutland. (Cal.Pat.Rolls and Cal. Ancient Deeds). One wonders what Yardley people thought when they knew the King intended to finish the castle. What did he mean by it? Surely he would not live in such a an out-of-the-way spot. Even if he did not live there, there would be officials coming and going all the time, and it would be much more difficult to help themselves to deer and wood from the forest.

On October 1st 1363 the King appointed John de Newenham, parson of Cheadle to be the Clerk of the Works and Richard Wydeville of Grafton to be Supervisor. They were directed to take hewers of stone, masons, carpenters, and other artificers and workmen; to provide stone, timber and all other necessaries, and cartage to bring in same; to make all payments of wages to the workmen and other necessary payments. John de Newenham was further instructed to bring back all the workmen who had withdrawn from the works without licence, and to arrest all others found contrarient or rebellious and to imprison them until they gave security to serve in the works. He was also to set up a jury to inquire into the timber, stone, etc. which had been taken away, and to have it brought back again. His wages were to be the same as William de Mulsho received when he was Clerk of the Works at Windsor Castle. (Cal.Pat.Rolls).

The building seems to have gone on for the next two years, during which time £861 was spent on it. Men were paid a lump sum of 60/- for making a new pit at the quarry at Cosgrove containing 24 feet each way; removing the earth and ragstone in order to get at the freestone there, and a further £95 for digging 14,300 feet of stone, and 13/4 per 100 foot for removing same. Iron at 16d the piece was fetched from Gloucester. Other items were stone slates for eaves and guttering; 30 crested tiles for the roof ridge of the hall at 11/2 d each; pitch for blackening hinges and hooks, and tin for whitening same; 12 latches and snatches flower tinned for various doors, and 24 rings with flowers, and nails for same; sprigs and other nails cost 14d the thousand. Sixty pounds of hard fish for glue-making; was bought from a Northampton fishmonger named Brassinbourne at a cost of 18d. A block of bronze was bought for the roof louvers to adjust so smoke could escape from the hall, indicating a central fireplace. Oak trees were obtained mainly from the forest, but a special purchase was made of 12 regalbords, i.e. large-sized oak scantlings, from Riga in the Baltic, for making the head of the King’s bed. William the Bellgetter was paid 7/6 for a bell weighing 18lb to be rung at various times to stir up the workmen to hasten their work, and candles were purchased so the men could work by night in order in order to finish in time for the King’s arrival.

A long-term industry in Cosgrove was quarrying. The names Quarry Bridge and Quarry Field occur in the 16th century, and by the mid 19th century there was a directly managed quarry on the Mansel estate, which supplied stone for the building of Stantonbury church, not far across the border in Buckinghamshire. By 1881 the limestone was almost worked out, though sand and gravel continued to be mined. In the middle of the last century two local builders set up the Cosgrove Sand & Gravel Company, and also operated a haulage and plant hire business. The company was voluntarily wound up in 1960-2.

1820 Dec 26th - Gravel account Revd Henry L Mansel for 16 loads of Strong Gravel £2-0-0

UNDATED
(6) BURIALS (SP781427). West of Rectory Farm, on glacial gravel at 85m above OD. Several skeletons were found in a gravel-pit in about 1893-4 (OS Record Cards)

Quarrying appears to have taken place in the south of the parish over a long period, given the occurrence of the names Quarry Field and Quarry Bridge in the 16th century. In the mid 19th century there was a directly managed quarry on the Mansel estate, which in 1860 supplied stone for the building of the church at Stantonbury (Bucks.). In 1881 the quarry, which had evidently supplied limestone to Heyford ironworks in previous years, was described as almost worked out.When the estate was sold in 1919 one of the parcels of accommodation land included a chalkpit and limekiln and another what was described as a profitable sand and gravel pit, both of which were then in hand.