Moated site and fishpond at Old Rectory 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 Old Rectory Farm moated site is part of an important group of related sites which include the extensive earthwork remains of the deserted medieval village of Woughton on the Green, the parish church and a well preserved open field system. Considered as a whole they provide a very complete example of the economy and structure of a substantial medieval settlement.

Details

The monument includes a moated site situated in the grounds of Old Rectory Farm and probably represents the site of the manor house associated with the medieval village of Woughton on the Green. The moat visibly survives around the north, west and east sides of the island, averaging 10m wide and 1.6m deep, but is overlain in the south by the modern farmyard. The internal platform is slightly raised above the surrounding natural land surface and is rectangular in shape, measuring 22m east to west by 30m north to south. To the immediate east of the moat is a rectangular pond 30m long by 10m wide orientated east to west. All buildings and fences are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath them is included.

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:

19017

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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