Matson 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.

Matson moated site survives well and is largely unencumbered by later buildings. Buried deposits on the island will include the remains of structures, which will contain archaeological information relating to the construction and subsequent occupation and use of the site. Within the moat waterlogged deposits will preserve archaeological remains relating to its occupation and use, along with organic material which will provide information about the economy of the site and the local environment while it was in use.

Details

The monument includes a moated enclosure set on low-lying ground. It comprises an oval moat, the northern and western parts of which remain visible as earthworks, enclosing an island measuring about 100m north east-south west and about 70m north west-south east. The southern and eastern arms have become infilled, but survive as buried features. The moat is about 12m wide at its maximum and up to 1.2m deep with an external bank along the western arm, which is about 1m high and 12m wide. There is a suggestion of a causeway in the south west corner of the moat, to the west of which a very shallow ditch is visible, which appears to indicate the continuation of the circuit. The surface of the island is not raised above that of the surrounding ground and is uneven, suggesting that the remains of structures will survive as buried features. All fences and benches are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them 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:

32353

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Bazeley, W, Trans. of the Bristol and Glos. Arch. Society in Some Records Of Matson In The County of Gloucester, Vol. II, (1877), 244

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry