Moated site 270m south east of Middleton 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.

The moated site to the south east of Middleton Farm is a rare Warwickshire example of a medieval moated site which has two islands and it illustrates well the diversity in form of this class of monument. It is unencumbered by modern development and has never been excavated. The remains therefore survive well both as earthworks and below-ground remains. The moated islands will retain structural and artefactual evidence for the house and buildings which originally existed here; allowing an insight into the activities which took place on each island. Additionally, organic deposits will be preserved within the partly waterfilled moat ditches providing information on the economy of the site's inhabitants and the environment in which they lived.

Details

The monument is situated approximately 270m south east of Middleton Farm on the gentle upper western slopes of the Tame Valley. It includes a double island moated site and part of an associated water management system. The moated site is rectangular in plan and measures approximately 102m north-south and up to 73m west-east. The moat arms are partly waterfilled for much of the year and average 12m in width and 2m in depth. An external bank, between 7m and 10m wide, is visible alongside the southern arm of the moat and is included in the scheduling. From the south western corner of the moated site, the western moat arm extends southwards for a further 50m and then turns eastwards and widens out to form what has been identified as a small pond, 20m in length. There is a shallow channel, approximately 1m wide, running north-south between the pond feature and the southern arm of the moat; although it does not connect with the moated site, it is thought to represent part of the site's water management system and originally supplied water for the moat. An outlet channel is visible at the north eastern corner of the site. It has been modified, but its western end, where it connects with the moat, is included in the scheduling. The two moated islands are aligned north-south and are divided from each other by a waterfilled ditch which links the western and eastern arms of the moat. A causeway provides access between the islands. Although these two islands are similar in size, they are slightly different in plan; the northern island has an almost square plan, while the southern one is rectangular. Both islands have relatively level surfaces. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.

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:

21609

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
RCHME, SP 19 NE 2, (1988)

End of official list entry

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