St John's Pelham moated site and fishponds.

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 at St John's Pelham is relatively well-preserved and retains considerable archaeological potential for the recovery of building foundations within the interior. The fishponds survive in good condition.

Details

The moated site at St John's Pelham is situated 1.25km north-west of Furneux
Pelham. It is rectangular in shape and measures c.75m north-south by c.70m
east-west. The arms vary between 20m and 10m in width, the widest point being
the north-west corner where the moat is fed by a spring. The north and east
arms are still waterfilled but the west arm is dry. There is no surface trace
of a fourth arm. An external bank, 7 - 10m wide and c.0.6m high, exists on
the north and west sides. The island is raised slightly above the natural
land surface in order to create a flat platform. There are visible footings
of a small brick-built building on the island and the ruins of a barn to the
south of the moat are believed to cover the southern arm. To the east of the
moat is a pond which measures c.20m east-west by c.15m north-south. It is
filled through a channel from the north-east corner of the moat and drains to
a leat running east from the moated site. Another pond, situated c.45m north
of the moat, measures c.10m east-west and c.15m north-south and is connected
to the moat by a small channel.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 27 October 2025 to amend details in the description

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

20608

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
SMR No: 070250, Information from SMR,

End of official list entry

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