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 320m north east of Petton parish church is a well-preserved
example of this class of monument. The moat island will retain structural
and artefactual evidence for the buildings that once stood on the site which,
together with the artefacts and organic remains existing in the moat, will
provide valuable evidence about the occupation and social status of its
inhabitants. Organic remains surviving in the buried ground surfaces under the
raised interior, below the outer bank, and within the moat itself, will also
provide information about changes to the local environment and land use before
and after the moated site was constructed.
Details
The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a medieval moated
site situated on level ground at the base of a slope which rises to the west
of the site. Approximately 300m south west of the moated site is a bowl barrow
which is the subject of a separate scheduling.
The arms of the moat, which retain water, are between 10m and 14m wide. A 12m
wide extension to the south western arm is the result of later quarrying, and
is therefore not included in the scheduling. The moat defines a square island
approximately 36m across. Material excavated from the moat was used to raise
the surface of the island by about 0.5m above the level of the surrounding
ground. Additional material was also deposited outside the moat, parallel to
the north western ditch, to form a bank 9m wide and 0.8m high. A later bridge,
2.7m across, formed by two arches, and built of hand-made bricks, crosses the
north eastern moat ditch at its mid-point.
Ponds and other embanked features were constructed in the area to the north
and east of the moated site. These have been extensively damaged by modern
agricultural practices and are not included in scheduling.
All modern field boundaries are excluded from the scheduling, although the
ground beneath these features 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.
