Moated site 200m west of Graylands Copse

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 200m west of Graylands Copse survives well while the waterlogged moat provides ideal conditions for the survival of organic remains and environmental evidence, relating both to the economy of the site and the landscape in which it was constructed and later re-used.

Details

The monument includes a rectangular moated site 100m north of Grayland Farm an situated in a low lying area 500m north-east of Boldrings Brook, a tributary of the river Arun. The site is aligned NNW-SSE with maximum external dimensions of 70m by 65m. All four arms of the moat are water-filled, the ditch being between 5m and 10m wide and enclosing an area 50m square. Along the outside of the west arm of the moat is a retaining bank, c.8m wide and 0.8m high, which supports the down slope side of the ditch. No indication of buildings survive on the island although brick foundations were visible until recently on the western side. These are likely to be associated with the re-use of the monument as a landscape feature, adapted as part of the grounds of Graylands, probably in the mid-19th century when the island was planted with exotic species of trees and shrubs. A bridge was also constructed in this period, the brick foundations of which are situated on either side of the northern part of the east arm of the moat. The fencing which surrounds the monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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:

20005

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Austin, L, Medieval/ post-medieval tile fragments, (1991)

Other
Darvill, T, Monument Class Description - Moats (1988), 1988,
Luckhurst, K R, (1991)

End of official list entry

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