| Description | Cruttonstall, now one small farm complex, is identified with the Domesday vill of Crumbetonestun. Whether this farm was an original settlement nucleus in the eleventh century vill is unknown; the settlement could equally well have been dispersed. Cruttonstall is listed as one of the demesne vaccaries of the Manor of Wakefield in 1309 with '24 acres' and with its summer pastures at 'Marshaw'. (Marshaw is perpetuated as a name in Marshaw bank and Marshaw Bridge, the latter at c. SE 000232, across the moorland from Cruttonstall towards the south east; it might be surmised therefore that the summer pastures of Marshaw were on the moorland in a south easterly direction from Cruttonstall. APs of Cruttonstall show it to lie part way up the south side of the Clader valley at the southern edge of the enclosed ground and bordering the unenclosed moorland. The regularity of the field walls suggests that these might be late in date. There is no trace within the fields of earlier features on the AP, but J.A. Heginbottom reports the remains of possible lynchets in the fields immediately to the east of the farm, and features may be visible in the field immediately to the west of the farm; this latter should be inspected in the field (by WYAS in the first instance). Immediately to the south on the moorland a number of possible tracks (droveways?) are visible, but it is difficult to tell how many of these might be natural gullies; include this area in the field inspection. Pursue existing buildings with buildings officer. This site is so unbuilt that it must be given a high priority at this stage for field inspection; the identification of a deserted settlement site here would be of great importance; if the area has been ploughed flat, consider a speculative sample area of geophysical survey. |