The Gamewatcher’s Cottage in Birkham Wood: Rediscovering a Lost History

Abstract

In 2023 an investigation was carried out to try and establish the origins of an enigmatic stone ruin in Birkham Wood, near Knaresborough, which had, in the early twentieth century, been converted into a cottage for a Harewood estate gamekeeper and his family. Although the structure is not formally recognised as being of historic interest, its extant west end corner buttresses, each adorned with an inscribed Latin cross, suggested otherwise. Locally, the ruin has been regarded as having medieval monastic associations. However, research and excavation now suggest that the building probably represents an example of John Carr’s Gothic revival work, as part of his work on the nearby Plompton Hall estate in c.1760. As well as providing a new perspective on the likely origin of the building, the project has provided some insights into a rarely documented subsistence lifestyle in the first half of the twentieth century.

Keywords:

• Birkham Wood, Plompton
• Knaresborough
• John Carr
• Eighteenth century
• Gothic revival
• Early twentieth-century life

Acknowledgements

The Birkham Wood project was conceived by Kathy Allday and funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The investigations and research were directed by Ian Roberts and Kathy Allday, and carried out by members of the Knaresborough Museum Association, who also processed and identified the finds. The author is grateful to Geoffrey Thornton (Low Grange Farm), for the use of Figure 2, and Catherine Thompson-McCausland (Plompton Hall), for providing information about Plompton High Grange. Acknowledgement is also due to Gemma Plumpton (Harewood Estate), who provided the description of the Birkham Wood cottage in the 1951 sale catalogue. Special thanks are extended to Elaine King (granddaughter of George Frankland), who explained the circumstance of the Frankland family’s arrival at Birkham Wood, and to Linda Herrington (née Grant) for providing her family’s personal insights into life in the cottage in the 1950s. Paul Gwilliam carried out a post-excavation photographic survey of the ruin and contributed Figures 8 and 10, whilst Figure 3 is by Tina Roberts. All other figures are by the author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ian Roberts

Ian Roberts is an archaeologist who has published numerous reports and articles on sites of all periods in Yorkshire. He is a Fellow of Society of Antiquaries of London and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.