Medieval moated site with adjoining paddock boundaries, Lodge Farm, South Park

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 or, in some cases, which were used for horticulture. 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 monument at Lodge Farm is of particular importance because the earthworks survive well and illustrate some of the diversity of component parts which went to make up a moated site. In addition the waterlogged state of much of the moat and the undisturbed nature of the moat island suggest that the potential for the recovery of various types of archaeological evidence is high.

Details

The monument at Lodge Farm includes the surviving parts of a paddock boundary and artificial watercourse in addition to the remains of a medieval moated site. Moated sites are generally seen as the prestigious residences of the Lords of the manor, the moat marking the high status of the occupier but also serving to deter casual raiders and wild animals. Most moats were constructed in the period either side of 1300 AD, and it is likely that the example at Lodge Farm was linked to the establishment of a deer park in the area in 1262, in which case the monument may have formed the hunting lodge for occasional occupation by the owner and guests. The moat itself is nearly square in shape and is embanked almost continuously on the outer side, more noticably on the downslope side. The inner edge also has a slight bank. The moat island, on which finds of stone foundations and medieval pottery have been made, is flat but the outline of a building is perhaps traceable in the differently- coloured grasses. To the south-east is the inlet leat through which water was drawn into the moat, while it escaped along one part of the adjoining paddock boundary into an artificial water course and thence into a nearby stream. The paddock boundary is visible now only as a slight bank and ditch, but would originally have formed an effective barrier to predators and penned animals alike. Only the fencing which crosses the constraint area is 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:

12751

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey Record Card TQ 34 NW 1 Source Date: Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Surrey Antiquity 1325,
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Moats, (1988)

End of official list entry

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