Ingrave Farm moated site, moated site 100m W of Ingrave Farm and connecting channel, Eccleston

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 site at Ingrave Farm is a rare and unusual example of paired moats. Despite recent infilling work the main moated enclosure is well preserved and will retain considerable information relating to its original construction and use. Of particular note are the waterlogged conditions in the main moat in which organic remains will be well preserved. Despite infilling, the position of the second moat is still evident and the linking channel will preserve evidence of the original inter-relationship of the two sites.

Details

The monument at Ingrave Farm comprises two moated sites linked by a waterlogged connecting channel. The larger of the two moats surrounds Ingrave Farm, and despite recent partial infilling along its E side and part of its S side, it remains an impressive and well preserved waterlogged example measuring up to 15m wide x 2m deep from the top of the outer bank to the present water level. 100m to the W, and linked to the larger moat by a waterlogged channel, is a smaller moated site measuring c.25m x 25m overall, the moat of which is now infilled but remains visible as a shallow depression surrounding a raised platform. The site is one of only two known examples of paired moats in Lancashire. Ingrave Farm, its farmyard, outbuildings and all field boundaries are excluded from the scheduling. The ground beneath all these features, however, 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:

13424

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Farrer, , Brownbill, , The Victoria History of the County of Lancashire, (1907)

Other
Olivier, A.C.H., Lancs. SMR PRN 864 N224 N221,
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Moats, (1988)

End of official list entry

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