Moated site at Metham Hall Farm
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1007972
- Date first listed:
- 24-Mar-1994
Map
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Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- East Riding of Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Laxton
- National Grid Reference:
- SE 80813 24799
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 cleaning of the moat and limited disturbance from archaeological
investigations, the moated site at Metham Hall Farm survives reasonably well
and will retain evidence of the buildings originally located on the island.
Details
The monument includes a medieval moated site situated on a slight rise near
the north bank of the Humber, one of a group of broadly similar monuments in
this area.
The sub-rectangular island defined by the moat is 80m long, east-west, and 40m
wide, north-south. The northern, southern and western arms of the moat are
between 8m and 10m wide and up to 2.5m deep. The eastern arm was later
altered and broadened to form a decoy pond for game; it is up to 16m wide and
up to 2m deep. At its eastern edge this arm is extremely shallow and slopes
gently, deepening to the west.
The moated site was the seat of the Metham family, a family of some importance
in the county.
A previous owner of the monument carried out limited archaeological work on
the island in the 1950's, cutting trenches across it.
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:
- 23813
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Other
2815, Humberside SMR,
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official listing