Moated enclosure and fishpond 370m north east of Scar Cottage

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 enclosure 370m north east of Scar Cottage survives well and is unencumbered by later structures. Buried deposits on the island will include the remains of structures and archaeological information relating to the construction, subsequent occupation and use of the site. Within the moat, leats and fishpond waterlogged deposits will preserve archaeological remains relating to the occupation of the site, along with environmental remains which will provide information about the economy of the site and the local environment during the period in which it was constructed and occupied.

Details

The monument includes a moated site with associated fishpond and leat set on relatively low-lying ground which slopes gently to the north, 370m north east of Scar Cottage. It includes a roughly circular island measuring 33m in diameter, surrounded by a moat measuring between 9.5m and 12m in width and up to 1.75m in depth. The surface of the island is raised slightly above the level of the surrounding field and a number of earthworks are visible on the island, although their precise nature is unclear. A leat, visible as a shallow earthwork, runs from the moat into a natural pond at the bottom of the slope to the north. This pond is not included in the scheduling, although the leat is. To the north west are the shallow earthwork remains of a fishpond which was also fed by a leat from the moat. Crossing the moat between the two leats is a causeway approximately 2m wide. Aerial photographs taken in the early 1970s show that the moated enclosure is respected by ridge and furrow which runs east-west across the field, although the ridge and furrow is not well defined at ground level. A local tradition suggests that the enclosure marks the site of the previous rectory. The present rectory, which lies to the north, was built in 1744. The post and wire fence which runs along the field boundary to the north of the monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

32344

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
CUAP, (1972)

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