Dunge moated site

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1013084
Date first listed:: 19-Oct-1960

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1013084
Date first listed:: 19-Oct-1960
Date of most recent amendment:: 29-Mar-1990

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Bratton
National Grid Reference:: ST 89242 54297

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.

Although a large number of moated sites are known, relatively few survive in Wiltshire. This example is particularly important as it survives well and has a high potential for the survival of organic remains and archaeological features.

Details

The monument includes a moated site immediately to the north of Lower Dunge Farm. The moat survives as a roughly rectangular enclosure aligned NW-SE with a causeway on the south-east arm. The site measures around 120m NW-SE and 100m NE-SW and is surrounded by a wet moat of c.15m width and a depth of up to 2m. The island has dimensions of 100m by 80m.

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:: 12041
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
Dennison, E and Darvill, T, HBMC Monument Class Description - Moats, 1988,

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.