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.
Details
The monument includes a rectangular moated site roughly 100m by 96m with two
associated fishponds and other earthworks situated 700m to the east of Gatwick
Stream. It is composed of two separate areas. The moat is aligned north-west
to south-east with the island measuring 66m by 57m. On the south-west side of
the island are the remains of an internal bank 5m wide and 0.2m high running
along the western edge. Surrounding the island is a moat, all four arms of
which are water-filled and surviving to between 7m and 24m wide. The original
causeway was still visible until the late 1970's on the south-west side, set
approximately 5m from the south corner. To the east of the moat are two
rectangular depressions, the northern measuring 24m by 12m and c.1.5m deep;
the other c.18m by 18m and 1.5m deep. These are the visible remains of a
series of at least three fishponds fed by the stream which still fills the
moat through a leat running into the west corner. The moat outflow is in its
north corner where the ditch is at its widest point.
To the north and east of the moat, a linear earthwork is the surviving portion
of two large rectangular enclosures, which documentary evidence suggests is
associated with clay extraction during the medieval period. The bank running
northwest from the north corner of the moat is c.2.5m high and 17m wide. On
the south west side of the bank is a ditch 0.3m deep and 2m wide.
The grille, fence and associated equipment at the moat outlet at the north
corner of the moat, the park bench and fences are excluded from the scheduling
although the ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20003
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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.
End of official list entry
