Moated site in Moat Plantation, Newstreet Lane

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 in Moat Plantation, Newstreet Lane is a well-preserved example of this class of monument. The moat island will retain structural and artefactual evidence of the buildings that once stood on the site, which together with the artefacts and organic remains in the moat, will provide valuable information about the occupation and social status of the inhabitants. Organic remains surviving in the buried ground surface under the raised interior and in the moat will also provide information about changes to the local environment and use of the land before and after the moated site was constructed.

Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a medieval moated site situated in an area of gently undulating land. The moat defines an island, which measures approximately 40m north west - south east and 45m south west - north east. Material excavated from the moat has been used to raise the surface of the island by about 0.3m above the surrounding ground. The moat retains water, and the arms of the moat are between 13m and 18m wide and have an average depth on their outer sides of 1.3m. The northern part of the south eastern arm has been extended by 10m. The remains of a strip cultivation system (ridge and furrow) survive 40m to the north east of the moated site, but these are not included in the scheduling. A number of features are excluded from the scheduling, these are; all modern field boundaries, fences and gates and the drain inlets and the associated control mechanism at the north eastern corner of the site; the ground beneath all these features is, however, 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.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

32309

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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