Moated site 200yds (180m) S of Brinsop Court

Summary

Moat 230m south of Brinsop Court.

Reasons for Designation

Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches, often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.

Despite tree growth the moat 230m south of Brinsop Court survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, development, longevity, social and economic significance, domestic arrangements abandonment and overall landscape context.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 27 May 2015. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a moat situated at the head of a valley of a tributary to the Yazor Brook. The moat survives as a roughly rectangular central platform measuring approximately 44.7m long by 31.3m wide and defined by an outer, largely wet, moat or ditch of up to 17.4m wide. There are traces of very low masonry walls at the southern corner of the outer edge of the platform. The moat is believed to be the site of the 14th century precursor of the Grade I Listed Brinsop Court to the north.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

HE 147

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape 108007, Herefordshire SMR 3207

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