Moated site at Great Hartwell Farm

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.

The site at Great Hartwell Farm is a well-preserved example of a moated site and has associated documentary evidence.

Details

The monument at Great Hartwell Farm includes the moated site and an associated earthwork projecting from its south-eastern corner. The sub-rectangular platform is raised and well-defined with a slight bank at the edge of the platform. The platform is partly occupied by a modern brick-built farmhouse. Three sides of the moat are visible; the north arm has been infilled and built over. There is some waterlogging in the base of the moat, especially evident at the north-west corner. The moat is approximately 10m wide and up to 3m deep. An external bank is present on the east and south sides of the moat. The southern outer bank is the most evident and measures 7m wide and approximately 0.7m high. A raised bank projects beyond the south-east corner of the moat for a distance of 8m. The moated site was held by the Chetwynds of Kibblestone during the 1280s. A private chapel was constructed in about 1282. By c.1370 the buildings present at the site included a hall with chambers, a kitchen, a bakehouse, a gatehouse with stable, a chamber by the gate, and a building outside the moat. The surfaces of the paths and the driveway, fence posts and the modern brick farmhouse and its associated agricultural buildings are all excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

21507

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Palliser, DM, The Staffordshire Landscape, (1976), 76
Johnstone, H, The Victoria History of the County of Staffordshire, (1908), 367

End of official list entry

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