Medieval moated site and earlier earthwork south of Boughton Hall

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 moat south of Boughton Hall survives well despite the former presence of a piggery on the moat island. It is of somewhat unusual form and retains considerable potential for the recovery of evidence of the nature and duration of use of the site both from the moat island and from the moat itself. The presence on the same site of an earlier enclosure adds to the importance of the moated site as well as providing the opportunity to study the history of land uses in the area from the evidence contained in the infilled ditches and beneath the low banks, a situation rare in the South East.

Details

The monument includes the moat and the internal area which formed the site of a moated manor house, and also the earthworks and internal area of an earlier and larger enclosure. The earlier enclosure, which survives as faint banks with outer ditches, is four-sided and measures some 140m E-W by 105m N-S. Gaps in the low banks suggest that the enclosure had three entrances. It is most easily visible as dark areas of grass where the water retained in the former ditches has encouraged lusher growth. The enclosure has been interpreted as a stock enclosure because its three entrances would make a defensive function unlikely. The moat measures some 70m along each arm and is 6m wide. It differs from many similar examples in having an inset of some 12m at the N corner. The moat is now only seasonally wet but may have been fed by a stream from the west, via the ditch of the earlier enclosure, in its original water-filled form. The moat island, on which the manorial buildings were sited, is raised by about 0.5m above the surrounding ground level. The recent field drains and fencing across the larger enclosure 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:

12754

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Surrey Ant. 467,
NMR ref: TQ 05 NW 16,
Surrey Ant. 2639,
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Moats, (1988)

End of official list entry

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