THE search for a missing manor house on Dartmoor is the subject of an evening lecture at the Devon Rural Archive on Thursday at 7pm.

‘The Hunt for North Hall Manor, Widecombe’, given by archaeologist Andrew Crabb of Dartmoor National Park, tells the story of the lost medieval manor of North Hall in the parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor.

In his illustrated talk, Andrew will recount how despite documentary evidence from the 11th century proving its existence, the exact location of the house became unclear after it fell out of use and was abandoned in the medieval period, due to changes in land ownership and the local economy.

Abi Gray, resident archaeologist at the DRA, said: ‘For more than a decade historians and archaeologists have been searching for its location, which was the subject of speculation by the local community. However, with the help of the DRA, villager Peter Rennells identified two possible sites for the house and excavations have been carried out since 2012 by Dartmoor National Park, Oakford Archaeology and local volunteers to discover more information. In his lecture Andrew will reveal what has been found so far and disclose more about the history of the house.’

Andrew’s talk will take place in the lecture theatre at the DRA, in Shilstone near Modbury (PL21 0TW).

For more information visit www.devonrural archive.com