Hayholme moated site

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 limited disturbance to the moat, the monument survives well and is historically well documented. Organic material will be preserved within the moat and structural and artefactual evidence will be preserved on the island. Its association with Meaux Abbey will contribute to an understanding of the wider activities and economy which helped support the monastic community.

Details

The monument is Hayholme moated site. It includes a sub-rectangular central island surrounded by a water-logged moat. The central island measures 43m east-west by 34m north-south. The surrounding moat is 10m wide and up to 3m deep. The northern arm of the moat is crossed by an earthen causeway. At the western end of the northern arm a section of the moat was redug and revetted with brick in the 19th century to form a farm pond and horse-wash. The island has an uneven surface and fragments of burnt brick and pottery have been found on it, indicating the presence and survival of structural remains. The manor was the ancient home of the Noel family but was gifted to the abbey of Meaux before 1160. By 1390 the site was the abbey's principal cattle farm. Buildings on the island were demolished and replaced by structures external to the moat, probably on the site now occupied by modern buildings, between 1372 and 1396.

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:

21184

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Fallow, T M, The Victoria History of the County of Yorkshire, (1913), 149
Platt, C, The Monastic Grange in Medieval England, (1969), 209-210
Poulson, G, History and Antiquities of Humberside, (1840), 355
Le Patourel, H E J, Moated site of Yorkshire, (1973), 110
Loughlin, N, Miller, K, Survey of Archaeological Sites in Humberside, (1979), 30
Bond, E A, Rolls Series in Chronica Monasteri de Melsa, Vol. 3, (1866), 228

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