Manor Farm 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 disturbance to and partial in-filling of the moats, the monument at Manor Farm survives reasonably well. Evidence of the buildings which occupied the site will survive on the enclosed islands while organic and environmental remains will be preserved in the waterlogged moats.

Details

The moated site at Manor Farm includes two moated sites, a smaller one located in the north-western corner of the larger one, and other associated features. The large moated site measures c.240m east-west by 180m north-south. The moat which defines this site is best preserved at the northern end where it remains water-filled. The northern arm is 10m wide and at least 2m deep. An outer bank, 0.5m high and 5m wide, flanks this arm of the moat. On the west side only the northern half of the moat is visible as an earthwork feature: here a 100m length is visible as a ditch 10m wide and 2m deep. This western arm of the moated site would originally have extended further to the south. Although this section has been in-filled it will survive as a buried feature below the present ground surface. The eastern arm of the larger moated site is similarly only visible in its northern half where it is 125m long, 10m wide and 2m deep. It also contains water but further south the moat has been in-filled. The southern arm of the larger site has also been in-filled but remains visible as as a slight hollow 0.5m deep running across fields to the south of the farmyard.

Within the north-western corner of the larger moated site is the smaller moated site, the island of which is 50m square. The northern and western arms of this smaller moat are formed by the arms of the larger moat. The southern and eastern arms of the moat remain visible as earthworks up to 10m wide and 2m deep. They also retain water. Access to the island of the smaller site is provided by a causeway across the north-eastern corner of the moat.

The remainder of the island of the larger moat (the area outside the smaller site) appears to have been sub-divided by further drainage ditches. One of these remains as a water-filled ditch which appears to extend the line of the eastern moat of the smaller site further to the south to link up with the southern outer moat. It does not, however, visibly link with the arm of the smaller moat, having been in-filled to provide a crossing point for an access track to the later farm.

Manor Farm and its associated outbuildings are located in the centre of the island of the larger moated site. The farmhouse is a Grade II* Listed Building whilst adjacent stables and granaries are Listed Grade II. All buildings on the site are excluded from the scheduling although 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:

21188

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
White, W, Directory of Lincolnshire, (1872), 542
Allen, T H, History Of Lincolnshire, (1834), 231

End of official list entry

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