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 is a moated site that includes an island surrounded by a dry
moat. The grassy island lies in pasture and measures c.43m x 36m. Earthwork
features are visible on the island and include an L-shaped bank 0.1m high in
the N half and a raised platform in the SE quadrant. The surrounding moat
averages c.8m wide x 0.3m deep on three sides but is shallower and less
conspicuous on the north. A low outer bank c.5m wide flanks the W arm. Access
to the island was by a causeway across the mid-point of the W arm. A barn and
adjoining wall have been erected on the extreme NE corner of the moat and
island.
Other earthworks, presently imprecisely understood and hence not included in
this scheduling , lie E of the moated site. The barn and wall to the immediate
NE of the moat impinge upon the monument slightly. These features are excluded
from the scheduling.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13485
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
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
