Medieval moated site of Guildford Park Manor, Manor 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 example at Manor Farm is of importance because excavation has shown that a wealth of evidence of the buildings which stood on the island still survives, while the continued wetness of parts of the moat provides ideal conditions for the preservation of organic remains. The historical and archaeological documentation of the monument is also excellent.



MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map and includes a 3 metre boundary (6m on the north side) around the archaeological features considered essential for the monument's preservation and support.

Details

The moated site at Manor Farm includes the partially-silted moat and its island but also a broad external bank on the northern margin of the moat and the drainage leat at the north-east corner of the moat. Moated sites are generally seen as prestigious residences, the moat marking the high status of the occupier but also serving to deter casual raiders and wild animals. Like many moated sites, this example originated around 1300 AD and lay within the 1600 acre deer park which Henry II had enclosed soon after his accession in 1154. After about 1370, the moated buildings at Manor Farm formed an occasional lodgings for royal hunting parties as well as being the residence of the park keeper, and they continued in use until around 1600 after which time they were demolished. The monument features a rectangular stone-lined moat which originally encircled the island on which the buildings stood. The moat was partially infilled with the rubble from the early 17th century demolition, but two lengths survive in good condition. No visible traces of the buildings which occupied the island survive, but small-scale excavations have demonstrated that much evidence of these buildings exists below the surface. The outer edge of the moat on the north side is marked by a broad, low bank, while at the north-east corner is a drainage leat. The electricity cable in this area, the sluice between moat and leat and all fencing within the scheduled area, are excluded from the scheduling. The brick-laid former tennis court and modern fishpond-cum-flowerbed are also excluded, although the ground beneath both is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 3 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:

12763

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Crocker, A, Previous interims Vol 96, 103, 118 in Excavations at Guildford Manor Park, (1976)

Other
Surrey Antiquity 1657,
Crocker, A., 1st Interim Report (typescript), (1973)
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Moats, (1988)

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