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 moated site with associated water management features
set on low-lying ground in the Severn Vale. The site includes a roughly
rectangular moat and island with a subsidiary enclosure to the north east and
evidence for leats to the north and west. The main island measures 45m by 31m
and is surrounded by a moat with a maximum width of 18m and a minimum width of
10m. The moat is between 2m and 3m deep. To the north east is a subsidiary
enclosure, visible as a series of earthworks, measuring 45m by 18m, and which
would also have been enclosed by a moat up to 8m wide. Leats for the
regulation of the flow of water through the moat can be seen as earthworks
running from the northern and western corners of the moat, and would have
drawn water from the two streams which flow through Moreton Valance.
Documentary sources indicate that in 1253 King Henry III gave ten oaks from
the Forest of Dean for the building of the hall of William de Valance at
Moreton, and this is thought to refer to the construction of this site. The
house of Aymer de Valance at Moreton was recorded in 1324, but by 1372 the
buildings were said to be `worth nothing beyond their expenses', and it is
likely that they had already fallen out of use. There are no further
references to the house or moat until 1674 when the site was deserted and
recorded only as a close of one acre with a moat. Rudder, the 18th century
Gloucestershire historian, described seeing `ancient foundations of hewn
stone' within the moat, which were said to be the foundations of the mansion
of the Valances.
A number of features are excluded from the scheduling; these are the post and
wire fences which surround the moat, the metal gates set in these fences, the
wood and metal bridge which has been constructed to give access to the main
island, and the modern stone sluice set into the eastern corner of the island
and although the ground beneath and around all these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
32335
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
