Moated site at Bewbush Manor

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.

Bewbush Manor moated site survives well, the silting of two arms of the moat and the waterlogging of the other two enhancing the archaeological potential of the site. Such conditions increase the likelihood that environmental remains, relating to the economy of the site and the landscape in which it was constructed, will survive.

Details

The monument includes a rectangular moated site comprising an island c.60m by 50m surrounded by a moat, the north and west arms of which remain water- filled. The moat was stream fed, water flowing into the moat in the centre of the northern arm and leaving at the south of the western arm. The west end of the north arm is 55m long and 11m wide with the rest of the north side of the moat being identified by a shallow depression 7m wide and c.0.3m deep. This extends 11m to the east before joining the eastern arm and running south for 50m. In front of the present house and halfway along the eastern arm is the site of the original causeway which provided access to the island. The south arm, situated c.4m south of the present house (Listed Grade II), survives as a shallow depression 6m wide, 0.2m deep and 55m long, while the west arm is 83m long but tapers towards the south and appears to have been extended after the south arm of the moat silted up. The house and other modern constructions on the island, the modern house immediately north-east of the moat, the gravel surface of the drive, the brick surround to the stream inlet and all brick walls and fences are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath all of these features is included.

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:

20004

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Darvill, T, Monument Class Description - Moats (1988), 1988,

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