Stocking Lane moated site

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1010743
Date first listed:: 02-Jan-1992

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1010743
Date first listed:: 02-Jan-1992

Location

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

County:: Hertfordshire
District:: East Hertfordshire (District Authority)
Parish:: Bayford
National Grid Reference:: TL 31204 08337

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.

Stocking Lane is a good example of a Hertfordshire moat which forms part of the manorial garden. It is essentially undisturbed and also retains potential for the recovery of organic remains in the waterlogged ditches.

Details

Stocking Lane is a rectangular shaped moat, situated east of Bayford Village at the foot of the garden of the Manor House. It is orientated north-east - south-west and measures c.60m long by c.45m wide. The arms vary from c.8m to c.13m in width. The north-west arm, which is partly infilled, has been cleared in recent years. There is no evidence of a causeway. A small wooden footbridge is situated on the north-west arm for access to the island. On the north-east and south-east arms there is an external bank measuring between 5m and 8m in width and c.0.5m in height. The island is thought to have been used as a garden or orchard. The modern footbridge is excluded from the scheduling.

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:: 20612
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
SMR No: 070250, Information from SMR,

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.