Monument record MDR2566 - Medieval Stone Bridge (site of), Hatton/Tutbury
Type and Period (1)
- BRIDGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
(SK 21442950) About twenty yards upstream from the present Tutbury Bridge is the site of a 15th century stone bridge. It had nine Gothic arches with projecting buttresses, and was removed in 1815 when the present bridge was built. (1) No trace of a former bridge was seen in the area indicated. (2) The earlier stone bridge at Tutbury, for which repairs were made between 1690 and 1740, is illustrated and described by Moseley. It may have been built during the reign of Henry VI (1422-1461) (3).
Staffs SMR 00704 states that this may also be the site of the earlier timber bridge that existed here in the reign of Henry IV, and to which repairs were made in 1402-3. The location of the medieval stone bridge is shown on the 1784 enclosure map of Marston on Dove. It can be seen crossing to the west of the present bridge, slightly offset to the main north-south road between Tutbury and Hatton. The offset of the former bridge may suggest that an obstruction prevented this bridge from being erected on the more direct route across the river, where the present bridge now stands. This obstruction could have been the earlier wooden bridge which would have necessarily remained in use prior to the completion of the stone bridge. In 1798 the stone bridge was recorded as being an 'excellent bridge carrying a good turnpike'. By 1813 piers of the bridge were in such disrepair that Staffs and Derbys counties arranged the construction of a new bridge, the first foundation stone being laid in 1815. The present bridge was completed in 1817, when the stone bridge was demolished. It is tought that the medieval bridge fell into quick disrepair at the end of the 18th century due to the diversion of the Mill Fleam or Little Dove river course through Tutbury Cotton Mill and emptying into the Dove just above the bridge in 1781. The change in the water flow on the downstream side of the pier bases would have enlarged the scour pools, enhancing the erosion and probably increasing the instability of the pier bases of this bridge (5)
A geophysical survey on land to the north of the site of the medieval stone bridge was carried out in 2001. Four high resistance anomalies were detected, probably reflecting a gravel bank, modern brick and concrete rubble. However, one anomaly was thought possibly to represent a stone pier along the presumed line of the bridge (6). Investigation by trial trenching produced masonry rubble deposits which included substantial dressed sandstone blocks thought to derive from the demolition of the medieval stone bridge (see SMR 20307). (7)
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SDR15377 Article in serial: Scrivener, A & Bladen, W. 1912-13. 'Tutbury Church', Transactions of the North Staffordshire Field Club. Volume 47, p 187.
- <2> SDR6495 Bibliographic reference: F1 WW 10-MAR-58.
- <3> SDR7171 Bibliographic reference: Moseley, O. 1832. History of the Castle, Priory and Town of Tutbury in the County of Stafford.
- <4> SDR179 Bibliographic reference: Jervoise, E. 1932. The Ancient Bridges of Mid and Eastern England. p21-2.
- <5> SDR19056 Unpublished document: Meek, J (ULAS). 2001. An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of the proposed Flood Wall Replacement at Tutbury Bridge.
- <6> SDR19055 Unpublished document: Butler. 2001. A Geophysical Survey for the Proposed Flood Wall Replacement at Tutbury Bridge, Hatton, Derbyshire.
- <7> SDR19057 Unpublished document: Kipling, R. 2001. A Report on Archaeological Fieldwork undertaken at Tutbury Bridge, Hatton, Derbyshire.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2143 2952 (11m by 39m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | HATTON, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | TUTBURY, EAST STAFFORDSHIRE, STAFFORDSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (4)
- EDR1732
- EDR1731
- EDR1730
- EDR961
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Aug 30 2016 4:02PM