Moated site at Chapelgarth, 450m north east of Manor 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.

The moated site north east of Manor Farm survives in good condition and as the moat island is unencumbered by modern building, it will retain evidence of the structure which originally occupied it. The surrounding moat survives well and is undisturbed. It will thus retain environmental evidence relating to the period of the monument's construction. The monument is one of a number of moated sites in this part of East Yorkshire, clustering along both the northern and southern sides of the River Humber, which represent a typical form of settlement of low-lying and flood plain land such as this in the medieval period.

Details

The monument, a moated site, is situated 450m north east of Manor Farm and includes a small, quadrangular raised platform area with dimensions of 30m north-south by 28m east-west, surrounded by moat ditches. The monument has overall dimensions 50m north-south by 48m east-west. The platform area is around a metre above the level of the exterior ground surface. The `U' shaped moat ditches range from between 7m to 12m wide, across their tops, and are about 1m to 2m deep. The moat ditches are intact on all sides, but any trace of related exterior banks has been largely removed by close ploughing to the edges of the ditches. In the centre of the platform the buried remains of a timber structure associated with the occupation of the moat are reported to exist. The remains of an inlet channel located at the south eastern corner of the site, have been largely infilled by modern ploughing, but the channel will survive as a buried feature and is included in the scheduling. The remains of earlier ridge and furrow cultivation surrounding the monument on its eastern and southern sides show as crop marks of cultivation from the air, but does not survive well enough to be included in the scheduling. All post and wire fencing is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.

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:

26600

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Le Patourel, H.E J, Monograph Series No 5 in The Moated Sites of Yorkshire, (1973), 112

Other
Owner's Information, (1996)
Humberside SMR, Sites and Monuments Record Information and Maps, (1996)

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