Moated site and fishpond, 1km ENE of Sewingshields on Fozy Moss

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 on Fozy Moss is exceptionally well preserved and is of unusual construction and form. Moated sites are uncommon in Northumberland.

Details

The monument includes an unusual moated site of medieval date and an associated causeway, situated in a flat, low-lying position on an area of open moorland. The moated site, roughly oval in shape, is enclosed by a ditch 5.5m wide and 1.8m deep, with a well-preserved outer bank standing to a maximum of 1.8m high. There is an entrance 3.5m wide through the ditch and bank at the south-west. The interior of the enclosure has been raised substantially above ground level; on it, there are traces of buildings represented by three circular depressions and faint traces of banks. One of the depressions is particularly well formed and is situated at the extreme southern point of the monument. The northern part of the moated site contains a waterlogged circular depression 2.8m deep and 20m in diameter; this is interpreted as a fishpond, a feature often found in association with moated sites. A slightly raised causeway measuring 3.5m wide leads away from the entrance of the enclosure in a south-westerly direction across the surrounding marsh for 60m, before it is truncated by a drainage ditch. The moated site was possibly associated with the medieval manor of Sewingshields and Sewingshields Castle, situated 600m to the west.

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:

20981

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Jobey, G, Archaeologia Aeliana, 4, 39 in Further Notes on Rectilinear Settlements in Northumberland, (1961), 96-97

Other
Wrathmell, S, Deserted and Shrunken Villages in Southern Northumberland, 1975, Unpublished phD Thesis
NY 87 SW 19,

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