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 moated site 200m west of Otley Hall survives well and the form, with an
outer bank and ditch, is unusual. Its relationship to Otley Hall is of
particular interest. The site will retain important archaeological
information concerning its construction and use, and evidence of earlier land
use will be preserved in soils buried beneath the bank and the raised surface
of the central island.
Details
The monument includes a moated site located on high ground, 850m north of
Otley village. The central island of the moated site is rectangular, with
dimensions of 23m east-west by 19m north-south, and its surface is raised
approximately 0.5m above the prevailing ground level. It is surrounded by a
water-filled moat measuring 10m to 12m in width, without a causeway. On the
north and west sides, and around the south-western corner, there is also an
external bank measuring 0.6m in height and up to 6m in width, with an outer
ditch 1m deep and between 4.5m and 8m in width. The outer ditch is normally
dry. An extension of its western arm, projecting northward from the north-
western corner for a distance of approximately 9m, has been filled in,
although it survives as a buried feature and is marked by a hollow in the
ground surface. The eastern end of the short southern arm of the outer ditch
is joined to the adjacent arm of the moat by a short overflow channel, 0.3m
deep and 3.5m in width, which issues into a field ditch.
The site is on land which formerly appertained to Otley Hall. Its small size
and its location suggest that it was constructed to contain a building such
as might have been used as a place of retreat from the hall.
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.
