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.
Details
The monument includes a large medieval moated site with attached fishponds
located at the eastern end of the village of Bishop Wilton. The moated island
measures 180 metres south-west to north-east by 90 metres south-east to
north-west, and is enclosed by a moat 3 metres wide and 3 metres deep.
This moat has an outer bank 2 metres wide and surviving to a maximum height
of one metre. A stream runs into and through the south-eastern arm of the
moat, but the remainder of the moat is dry. Two large fishponds are
incorporated into the moat, one located to the south of the south-eastern arm
measures 50 metres by 5 metres. The other at the eastern corner of the
monument measures 40 metres by 35 metres. The interior of the moated island
exhibits a series of upstanding earthworks interpreted as the surviving
remains of the buildings and other features which formerly occupied the
island. These include remains of building platforms to the east of the site
and, at the western corner of the site, a large circular tower. The moat was
crossed on its north-western side, where remains of a gatehouse have been
identified. There are remains of a building platform and a further earthwork
outside the moat, to the south of the monument; these are considered to be
integral to the monument. The site is thought to have been built for
Archbishop Neville during the reign of Edward IV, though the manor itself had
been in the hands of the See of York since the reign of the Saxon king
Athelstan, and so it is likely that the remains visible today overlie earlier
structures. The telegraph poles are excluded from the scheduling, although
the ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21054
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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 Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
