Moated site and associated enclosure at Church Farm

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1013181
Date first listed:: 03-Mar-1977

The Missing Pieces Project

Share your view of unique places.

Add your contribution

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions.

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

🏠 Buildings
🏰 Scheduled monuments
🌳 Parks and gardens
⚔️ Battlefields
⚓ Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1013181
Date first listed:: 03-Mar-1977
Date of most recent amendment:: 03-May-1990

Location

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

District:: Wokingham (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Barkham
National Grid Reference:: SU 78442 66369

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 in England, relatively few survive in Berkshire. This example (the probable site of the medieval manor) survives particularly well and its importance is enhanced by its proximity to the contemporary church of St. James. The site also has potential for further archaeological investigations following observations in 1982.

Details

The monument includes a moated site and an associated enclosure immediately south-east of St. James's Church. The moat is water-filled and in good condition. It is of irregular shape with external dimensions of approximately 75m NE-SW and 50m NW-SE and with a causeway on the north-west side. The moat varies in width between 5 and 7m while the island has dimensions of 50m NE-SW and 40m NW-SE. Observations in 1982 suggested at least one recut of the moat and deliberate backfilling after the middle ages. Adjacent to the moat on the north-east side is a field with dimensions of 60m NW-SE by 45m NE-SW. It is surrounded on all sides by a ditch and stands 0.5m higher than surrounding land. It is considered to represent the farmyard area of the original manor. Excluded from the scheduling are the modern Church cottage and two outbuildings.

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:: 12022
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Fasham, P, Observation of a sewer trench at Church Cottage moated site, (1982)
Other
West Cambridgeshire, Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in Cambridgeshire, (1968)

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.