Moated site at Tardebigge Farm

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 at Tardebigge Farm is an important survival of a double- islanded moated site. The remains are well preserved and will provide information about the site and about the nature of moated sites in the area. In addition the surviving arms of the moat have remained waterlogged and will preserve environmental information relating to the site and landscape in which it was built.

The unusual location of this moated site close to important historic boundaries and communication routes will allow an examination of the location of moated sites in relation to their surrounding topography and settlement patterns.

Details

The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of a large double- islanded, irregular moated site at Tardebigge Farm measuring approximately 140m by 60m, and orientated east to west. The moated site is located on the gently rising, south west-facing slope of a valley at the confluence of three streams, close to the site of a ford. The site is also on the parish boundary between Stoke Prior and Bentley Pauncefoot. The moat arms are partly engineered from the natural stream valleys which feed the moat from the north east and south east and act as an outlet to the west.

The eastern island is the larger and better preserved. Measuring approximately 50m by 60m, the main domestic building is thought to have been sited on this island and some archaeological traces of earlier structures have been recorded here. The island to the west is overgrown and has an uneven surface with large depressions indicating the survival of either building or garden remains. It measures approximately 80m by 30m. The surfaces of both islands are 1m to 3m higher than the surrounding land.

The circuit of the moat is complete except along the south western arm, parallel with the road, where it has been partly infilled but survives as a shallow ditch. This ditch is waterlogged and is 2m to 4m wide across the top and 1m to 2m deep. The remaining moat arms are waterlogged and vary between 4m to 8m wide across the top and 1m to 4m deep. There are traces of an external bank on the eastern and southern sides.

Modern fences and surfaces 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. 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:

30017

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Aston, M., Unpublished survey in SMR Tardebigge Farm, 1970,

End of official list entry

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