Moated site 50m NE of Holden Green Farm.

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.

Despite some levelling of the monument's profile the site remains in good condition and is largely unencumbered by modern development. Surface features on the island indicate the existence of structural foundations associated with the occupation and use of the monument.

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.

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:

13485

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Mr Fawcett (site tenant), (1991)
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Moats, (1988)
SMR No 1527, Lancs SMR, Holden Green, (1988)
AP No. N1230, Lancs SMR, Holden Green, (1988)

End of official list entry

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