Moated site and associated enclosure at Uphoe Manor Farm 700m east of Lavendon Church.

Reasons for Designation

Uphoe Manor moated site, despite having suffered some disturbance, survives as a good example of its class. The moat island, though partly built over, will retain significant archaeological deposits relating to a long period of unbroken occupation. Environmental evidence pertaining to the landscape in which the moat was constructed and functioned, and to the economy of its inhabitants will survive in the various ditch fills.

Details

The monument includes a moated site and associated enclosure situated on a high point above the valley of the River Great Ouse. The manor is believed to have been founded in 1259 when lands at Lavendon were transferred, as part of a dowry settlement, from Richard de St Mark to Henry de Norwich, in whose family it remained for 400 years. The earthworks have been altered from their original form by later landscaping, but where visible they include the remains of a roughly circular moated enclosure with a projected diameter of some 90m. The ditch averages 10m wide and 1m deep and has traces of an outer bank up to 1.5m high along its outer edge. The earthworks are best preserved around the northern half of the site whereas the south-eastern part has been largely infilled. The moat surrounds Uphoe Manor Farm, the farmhouse of which is listed at Grade II and retains some of its early medieval fabric, though it was much altered in the C17th, C18th and C19th. At the southern edge of the moated site the ditch turns at right angles north-east and then south-east, indicating that a second, rectangular, enclosure joined at this point. However only a 40m length of the boundary ditch of this feature survives as visible earthworks. It has the form of a shallow ditch 8m wide and some 0.6m deep; the remainder is now infilled but will survive as a buried feature. Uphoe Manor House is totally excluded from the sceduling. All current farm buildings, structures, metalled areas and boundary features in addition to all existing service trenches below the metalled drive, are excluded from the schedule though the ground beneath these features is included.

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:

19086

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Source Date: Author: Publisher: Surveyor: Card no SP95SW11
Card no 0516,

End of official list entry