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 monument is the only known example of a circular medieval moated site in
Cheshire. Despite the loss of the monument's extreme north-eastern edge the
site survives well, is unexcavated and remains unencumbered by modern
development. It will therefore retain considerable evidence of its original
form and the activities which occurred on the island.
Details
The monument is the medieval moated site at Jarman Farm. The site includes
all but the extreme north-eastern edge of a raised circular island some 33m in
diameter that is surrounded on all sides except the northeast by a dry ditch
c.13m wide and up to 2m deep. Flanking this ditch is an outer bank 7m wide
and 0.3m high. Traces of an outer ditch 2.5m wide by 0.2m deep exist on the
western side of the outer bank. Rubble and some dressed stones protrude from
the ground in places on the island's scarp and on the outer bank.
The name Jarman was previously Garman and Germans, and derives from the Germyn
family who are well recorded in local 16th century documents.
All field boundaries, gateposts and field drains are excluded from the
scheduling. The ground beneath all these features, however, 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:
13514
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other Mrs Bullock (Site owner), (1991) Oral report to R. Turner SMR, (1988) Pagination 5, Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Moats, (1988) SMR No. 2153, Cheshire SMR, Jarman Farm, (1988)
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.
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