Stanwardine moated site and associated fishpond

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.

Stanwardine moated site and the adjoining fishpond survive well despite some modification and disturbance to the moated site. The form of the moated site is unusual. Sub-circular examples are relatively uncommon nationally, and such sites are thought to date to the early medieval period. The moated island will retain structural and artefactual evidence of 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 the inhabitants. Organic remains surviving in the moat will also provide information about the changes to the local environment and use of the land. The visible remnants of the medieval footbridge is a rare example of this type of structure.

Fishponds were constructed throughout the medieval period with many dating to the 12th century. The direct association of the moated site and the fishpond provides further evidence about the economy and lifestyle of the occupants of this site during the medieval period. The importance of the site is also enhanced by documentary sources providing ownership information.

Details

The monument includes the earthwork, buried and standing structural remains of Stanwardine moated site and an associated fishpond. The moated site is considered to be the centre of the manor of Stanwardine, which was in the estate of the Fitz Alans and held by the Richard de Stanwardine in the late 12th century. In 1307 the manor was sold by Philp de Stanwardine to Richard Hord, and in the 16th century it passed from the Hords to the Kynaston family. In 1555 Stanwardine Hall was built for Richard Corbett. This house occupies an elevated position 90m to the north of the moated site and is not included in the scheduling.

The moated site is situated at the base of a slope with land rising to the north and east. The water-filled moat defines an oval shaped island which measures approximately 42m east-west and 38m north-south. The arms of the moat are between 10m and 16m wide. Material excavated from the moat has been used to raise the surface of the island by about 0.5m on the eastern side and 1.5m on the western side. In addition, material dug from the moat has been deposited along the outer edge of the western arm in order to form a bank 5m wide and up to 0.8m high. A modern breach through the south western corner of the moat has truncated this earthwork. At the western end of the northern arm there are the remains of two bridge abutments, 2m wide, and constructed of red sandstone blocks. This footbridge is probably medieval in date and is included in the scheduling. Bricks and sandstone blocks embedded in the sides of the island give further indications of the nature of the buildings that once occupied the site and which survive as buried features.

To the south of the moated site there are the remains of a rectangular shaped fishpond which retains water. It is 30m-50m wide and about 95m long. A dam, 18m wide and 1m high defines its southern end. At the northern end it is connected to the moat by a channel or leat. The pond was constructed for breeding and storing fish in order to provide a sustainable supply of food.

The waste water collection tank and associated pumping houses which are constructed over the moat, all modern field boundaries and fences and gates 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.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

32317

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society in Ellesmere and Stanwardine-in-the-Wood, Vol. 4series3, (1913), XV

Other
Bridge, W, History of Stanwardine in the Wood, 1997, Privately circulated booklet

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