Moated site and two fishponds 80m south-west of Parkhouse 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.

Despite partial re-cutting of the moat and the southern fishpond, the moated site 80m south-west of Parkhouse Farm remains a good example of a small moated site. The central island remains unexcavated and will retain evidence of structures on it. Additionally organic remains will be preserved within the waterlogged moat.

Details

The monument is a moated site with two fishponds, one of two at Parkhouse Farm. It includes a slightly raised sub-rectangular island measuring 30m by 25m, surrounded by a wet, spring-fed moat 5m wide and 1.5m deep. An external bank survives on the northern, eastern, and southern sides of the moat. This is 5m wide and up to 0.5m high. On the western side of the moat, two fishponds have been created by extending the northern and southern arms of the moat westward. Each pond is 30m long and 10m wide. The northern pond has been infilled but remains visible as an oval depression in the ground surface 0.2m deep. The southern pond still survives as a pond although it may have been partially recut. The site does not have a causeway suggesting that access was originally provided by a wooden bridge across the moat. The boundary of the scheduling is drawn 5m from the outer edge of the moat, to include the external bank on the north-western, north-eastern, and south- eastern sides of the moat. The scheduling boundary extends 30m in a straight line in a south-westerly direction, beyond the south-western arm of the moat enclosing the two fishponds, and completes the circuit running parallel to the south-western arm of the moat. The monument is thought to date from the 16th century when Henry VIII caused the Leconfield Deer Park to be extended into the parish, and may be the brick lodge described by Leland as well-built and 'made for a house of pleasure'.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

21177

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
The Victoria History of the County of the East Riding of Yorkshire, (1979)
Toulmin-Smith, L, John Leland's Itinerary, (1964)
Le Patourel, H E J, Moated site of Yorkshire, (1973), 114
Le Patourel, H E J, Moated site of Yorkshire, (1973), 114
Loughlin, N, Miller, K, Survey of Archaeological Sites in Humberside, (1979), 26

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.