Moated site and surrounding earthwork enclosure, 100m south of Chelworth 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.

Although a large number of moated sites are known, relatively few survive in Wiltshire. This example is of particular importance as it survives well and has a good range of associated earthworks surrounding the site.

Details

The monument includes a sub-rectangular moated site and surrounding earthwork enclosure 100m south of Chelworth Farm. The moat is aligned east-west with a single causeway facing west. The site has maximum external dimensions of approximately 80m across with the island 60-70m across. The moat is up to 10m wide and deepest on the west side where it survives to a depth of 2m. Piles of rubble, possibly associated with an original structure, survive in the ditch to the west and north of the island. Also a large amount of rubble under a thin grass cover survives on the interior. The interior also has slight traces of an inner bank. Outer earthworks surround the moat. These includes a cresent-shaped outer bailey with slight inner bank and dry ditch to the north-east.

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:

12037

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

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

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.