Porter's Hall 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.

The moated site at Porter's Hall remains largely undisturbed and will retain archaeological information relating to the occupation and development of the site. The waterfilled ditches will retain environmental evidence pertaining to the economy of the site and the contemporary landscape in which it is situated.

Details

The monument includes a moated site situated at Porter's Hall on a hill top overlooking and 1.25km south-east of Stebbing Brook. It includes a rectangular moated area which measures 110m NW-SE by 65m NE-SW. The arms are between 12m and 6m in width and are water-filled, except to the south-west where they have recently dried out. The eastern corner has an irregular extension which measures 30m NE-SW by 20m NW-SE. The southern corner has also been extended along the same line as the south-western arm for a further 32m. Along the southern edge of this arm is a slight bank, 3.5m in width and about 0.4m high which is considered to have been used as a garden terrace. An outlet channel leads from the southern corner of the moat to the road. The island is undulating, particularly to the north-west where the foundations of the original house are located. A small section of the original house, which dates to the 15th or 16th century, survives as the northern-most part of the present day outhouses (Listed Grade II). The present Porter's Hall is dated to the 16th century and is Listed Grade 11*. Access to the island is across a modern brick-built bridge on the north-eastern arm which replaced a wooden drawbridge. This section of the arm was infilled during the construction of the brick bridge. A small wooden footbridge crosses the south-western arm. Porter's Hall moated site is considered to be associated with the family of Henry Le Portir in 1284. The house, outbuildings, bridges, driveway and waterpipe are all excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath these features is included.

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:

20691

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
070250, Information from SMR,

End of official list entry

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