Moated site and associated fishpond south of Mill Lane

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 south of Mill Lane survives largely undisturbed and is an excellent example of its class. It forms one of several medieval monuments which lie in close proximity to each other strung along the banks of the River Ouzel. Considered as a whole this important group of monuments allows a very complete understanding of the settlement and economy of an area intensively occupied in the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes a small moated enclosure, attached linear fishpond and the site of a building platform situated in a valley bottom on the west bank of the River Ouzel and close to the old course of the river. The moated enclosure is rectangular in shape and orientated NNE to SSW with overall dimensions of 70m north to south by 44m east to west. The moat ditch is of a uniform appearance averaging 10m wide and 1.4m deep and is crossed midway along its western side by a causeway 6m wide, the upper surface of the causeway being 0.6m above the bottom of the ditch. The central island of the moat measures 40m by 18m and is at a similar level to the surrounding ground surface. It is flat and largely undisturbed with the exception of a shallow oval depression scooped into the upper surface of the platform at its northern end. This depression measures some 8m north to south by 5m east to west and is 0.8m deep. Attached to the north-east corner of the moat is a linear ditch of similar proportions to the moat. It measures 64m long by 10m wide and 1.6m deep. Although a continuation of the moat alignment, it is separated from the main moat by a bank and appears to be designed to function as a fishpond. The area immediately west of the fishpond is the site of a building platform discovered during ploughing. Although not visible as a surface feature, it is included within the scheduling. All modern boundaries, structures and metalled surfaces are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath 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:

19077

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
SMR card no 3653,

End of official list entry

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