Moated site at Starling's Green

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 homestead moat at Starling's Green is well preserved and will retain archaeological information relating to the occupation of the site. The waterlogged ditches will retain environmental evidence pertaining to the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived. The monument has historical documentation relating to its construction in the 14th century.

Details

The monument includes a sub-rectangular moated site situated on high ground 1.25km south-west of St Mary and St Clement's Church, Clavering. The moated site measures 58m NW-SE by 54m NE-SW. The south arm was partly infilled during road improvements in 1921. The other arms, however, remain waterlogged and are an average of 12m wide. An external bank, 2m wide and approximately 0.5m high is located on the northern and eastern arms of the moat. The interior of the moat is raised approximately 0.8m from the surrounding ground level. Documents from 1332-1333 describe the construction of part of the homestead moat. The name of the site is known from 1484 and is thought to be associated with Robert Starlyng and his family.

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:

20700

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Reaney, PH, Place names of Essex, (1935)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.