Dagworth moated site, 400m north-west of St Nicholas' Church

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.

Dagworth moated site remains essentially undisturbed. It will retain archaeological information relating to the occupation of the site and environmental evidence pertaining to the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived.

Details

The monument includes a moated site situated on high ground 400m north-west of St Nicholas' Church. It survives as a rectangular-shaped moat covering a total area of 102m SW-NE by 90m NW-SE. The moat arms are 7.5m wide and are all dry. An external bank, 1.5m wide and c.0.3m high, surrounds the moat on the west and southern sides. Access to the island, which is level, is across a 5m wide causeway in the south-eastern arm of the moat. A leat leads from the south-western corner of the moat to the north-eastern corner and along the hedgeline towards the wood north-east of the monument and is thought to be part of the system which once fed the moat.

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:

20680

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
124, Information from SMR (No. 124),

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