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.
Details
The monument includes a moated site and two fishponds. The moated site
comprises a roughly 50m square island surrounded by a waterlogged moat
measuring between 10m and 15m wide and up to 3m deep. The island is partially
enclosed by a substantial bank on the south and east sides, measuring up to 2m
high and interpreted as the site of a wall or palisade. Platforms in the
western half of the island indicate the sites of buildings while, at the
south-east corner, there is a level area interpreted as a courtyard. A
channel leading north from this courtyard opens, at the north-east corner of
the island, into a filled-in fishpond measuring 9m from north to south by 5m
from east to west. A sluice leads from the north-west corner of the pond into
the north arm of the moat. The channel entering the pond at its south-west
corner indicates the position of a drain. On the north side, the moat is
divided from Stanley Brook by a substantial outer bank. However there is an
outflow channel linking the moat and the brook at the north-east corner of the
former. The moat is fed by a spring to the south, the water entering via a
large embanked fishpond which is now largely silted up and measures c.45m from
east to west by 20m from north to south. The earthworks around the fishpond
extend into outer banks which follow the south and east sides of the moat.
Access onto the island was via a 7m wide causeway across the east arm of the
moat.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
23302
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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.
End of official list entry
