Undated mound called The Island

Description of this historic site

A mound called The Island which is of unknown date. It is visible as an earthwork. In the past it has been suggested that it might be a round barrow, a motte or that it might be associated with a Medieval grange. The mound is situated in the close of Rugby School.

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Notes about this historic site

1 The monks of Pipewell Abbey had a grange here (PRN 3651, 5392) and surrounded the ancient tumulus in the close with a moat, throwing the earth inwards and enlarging the space. This moat was filled from the land springs on the upper strata of the gravel and used as a stew for fish.
2 Wait describes ‘The Island’ as having a small ditch, but says that in 1797 this ditch was a moat from 1.2 to 1.8m wide and full of water. A wooden drawbridge with a spiked gate in the centre, crossed at the place where the cricket pavilion now stands.
4 The original nature of ‘The Island’ is uncertain. It could have been a Bronze Age barrow, a small motte, or even a mound contructed specifically for meditation by the monks of the Grange. The name ‘The Island’ is still in current use, and it is now grass covered and planted with trees. A notice states that that the moat was filled in in 1847.
5 Situated on the edge of the playing fields. The NW side is encroached on by the timber pavilion.