The Castle, a moated site at Oaken Corner in Wendover Woods

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 Castle moated site survives largely undisturbed and intact; it is an excellent example of this class of medieval earthwork.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a moated enclosure orientated north-west to south-east and situated immediately above the northern side of a shallow valley overlooking the A413. The moat is square with rounded corners and has sides some 80m long. It comprises a well-defined bank and outer ditch of varying dimensions, although the relative levels of the ditch indicate that it was never designed to hold water but functioned instead as a dry ditch. On the north-east side is an original causewayed entrance, the bank and ditch on both sides turning in towards this entrance. Here the bank and ditch are at their strongest being some 8m wide and 2m high and 6m wide and 1m deep respectively. Around the north-west and south-east sides the inner bank becomes progressively reduced so that at the south-west corner it stands only 0.5m high. Here a modern break cuts both ditch and bank alongside a circular pit. The size, condition, situation and limited finds of 12th century pottery, indicate that the site is of a medieval date, possibly the site of an early manorial house or hunting lodge.

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:

19060

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Card no 0174,

End of official list entry

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