Knight's Green moated site

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 at Knight's Green survives well and is unencumbered by later buildings. Buried deposits on the island are likely to include the remains of medieval structures, and will contain archaeological information relating to the construction and subsequent occupation and use of the moated site. Within the moat waterlogged deposits may have preserved archaeological remains relating to the occupation and use of the site, along with organic material which will provide information about the economy of the site and the local environment during the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes a moated site, orientated north-south, situated at the top of a gentle slope. A moat, up to 6m wide and 1.5m deep, defines a trapezoidal island, measuring 28m by 38m which is level with the prevailing ground level. In the centre of the northern arm of the moat is a causeway measuring 15m in width, believed to be an original entrance. There is no visible evidence for any structures on the island, although they will survive as buried features. Although it is not known precisely when the moated site was constructed, it is believed to have been built during the main period of moat building, between 1250 and 1350. Coarse pottery, thought to have been of medieval date, is recorded from the island and ditch in 1939.

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:

31939

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Jones, J E G, Dymock Down the Ages, (1952), 80

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