Finsbury's Moated Manor, Medieval Land use and later development in the Finsbury Square area, Islington

Abstract

• Archaeological investigations at seven sites within the Finsbury Square area of London have revealed important evidence for the medieval and post-medieval development of this former marshy area north of the city walls. Evidence was recovered for Finsbury manor house, documented from 1272 and moated by the 14th/15th centuries, and for widespread quarrying and brick manufacturing beyond the manor in the later 15th century, along with dumping from nearby leather workshops in the 15th and 16th centuries. North of the manor the New Artillery Ground was created in the 1640s, the moat itself was built over and the area generally became increasingly industrial in character during the 18th and 19th centuries.