Edleston moated site and fishpond

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009866
Date first listed:: 09-Mar-1992

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009866
Date first listed:: 09-Mar-1992

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Cheshire East (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Burland and Acton
National Grid Reference:: SJ 63789 50760

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.

Despite some levelling of the monument's profile by ploughing and infilling the site remains in reasonably good condition and is unencumbered by modern development. The island still stands some 1.5m above the moat and evidence of the medieval house, 14th century oratory, and the gatehouse, bridge and chapel referred to in documents of c.1500 will survive there.

Details

The monument is Edleston moated site and fishpond. The site includes an island raised up to 1.5m high and measuring some 50m by 30m. Surrounding the island is a partially infilled dry moat that is best preserved on the south and west sides where it is up to 17m wide by 1m deep. On the monument's western side the moat widens out to form a dry fishpond measuring 45m by 35m and 1m deep. In 1398 Thomas de Fouleshurst of Edleston was given licence for an oratory which is assumed to be on this site. An inquisition post-mortem of c.1500 for John de Fouleshurst mentions a gatehouse, bridge, ditch and chapel. The field boundary on the monument's northern side and the fence flanking the railway line to the south-east are excluded from the scheduling. The ground beneath these features, however, 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:: 13518
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
Cheshire SMR, SMR No. 266/1, (1987)
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Moats, (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.