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 moated site of Kinoulton and its associated remains survive reasonably
well and may have been the site of a monastic grange. The range of surviving
features illustrates the diversity of this monument class. Below ground
remains of the buildings and other features which formerly existed will
survive within the moated site and, as demonstrated by limited excavations, in
the associated enclosures.
Details
The monument south of Kinoulton village includes a moated site and an attached
fishpond, a series of enclosures surrounding the moat, a hollow way, a
postmill mound and the sites of ancillary buildings. The moated site has an
irregularly shaped island measuring 66m along the south side, 18m along the
west side, 43m along the north side and 42m along the east side. It is
surrounded by a ditch with an average width of 9m and a shallow V-shaped
profile. The depth of the ditch varies between 1m and 2m, the deepest sides
being to the north and south. To the east of the moat there is a platform,
which measures 24m square, and a second platform to the south of that one,
which measures 24m from east to west by 6m from north to south. These two
platforms are separated by an 8m wide rectangular fishpond which is 0.75m deep
and open both to the moat and to another 9m wide ditch which extends along the
east side of the two platforms. Wooden sluice gates would have controlled
these two outlets and it is possible that the remaining ditches also
functioned as fishponds. The easternmost ditch levels out at its north end so
that there is access onto the larger platform along most of its north side. A
narrower ditch extends eastwards off the moat along the south side of the
smaller platform and forms a boundary for an enclosure to the south. The
island and the two platforms would have been the sites of timber buildings
dating to the medieval period. On the island, an area of surface disturbance
shows where some of the material from these buildings was cleared away in the
past.
Extending from the north-west corner of the moat is an old hedgeline which
follows a hollow way or sunken track leading from the north. This trackway
prescribes a right-angle round the edge of the enclosure north of the moat
where a partial excavation has revealed the foundations of timber-framed
buildings. A further larger enclosure exists to the east of the moat and the
east side of this is formed by a long platform which marks the site of a range
of buildings surrounded by a robbed-out wall trench. This enclosure, like all
those associated with the moat, is roughly square and bounded by ditches and
low banks which are the grassed-over footings of stone walls. Further
enclosures exist to the north and west, and in some cases are sub-divided by
slighter banks. These enclosures represent stock-pens and gardens, while the
buildings will have included such ancillary structures as barns and granaries.
To the west of the moat there is a roughly circular mound measuring c.0.75m
high and with a diameter of c.5m. This feature, which is flat-topped and
slightly dished in the middle, is interpreted as the mound of a post-mill.
Though not included in the scheduling, the earthwork remains of medieval ridge
and furrow ploughing can be seen north of the monument. These former ploughed
fields will have been the source of the grain ground by the mill. There is
some evidence to suggest that the site was a grange or monastic farm belonging
either to Launde Abbey in Leicestershire or Swineshead in Lincolnshire.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
