Abstract
This is the first detailed study of Saltford Manor House in Somerset, including both building survey and documentary research. The earliest phase is identified as a chamber block, which has lost its accompanying hall. The ground floor formed a tall undercroft for storage or service use, accessed by a wide stone-arched doorway and lit by slit windows. The single chamber on the first floor was accessed by an external stair and retains two original windows, one of which is among the finest domestic survivals of the period. The first-floor structure was, unusually, formed of heavy, clear-spanning joists. Three of these survive, enabling production of a tree-ring and isotope date of 1170–83. This, with documentary evidence, allows the builder to be identified as a member of the Wyting family, of knightly status and part of the affinity of the Earls of Gloucester. The building is set in the context of nineteen comparable early detached chamber blocks, including several that have been the focus of recent studies. Saltford Manor is the only example with an accurate, scientific date. Early thirteenth-century wall-paintings survive, one of the earliest domestic schemes in England. Alterations including the conversion of the undercroft to a hall took place in 1456-81, as confirmed by isotope dating, and further works were undertaken in 1637.
Published Version
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