Moated site 200m south west of Bell 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 200m south west of Bell Farm survives well and is unencumbered by later buildings. The central platform and the moat will therefore retain archaeological information concerning the construction and occupation of the site during the medieval period. Organic materials, including evidence for the local environment in the past, are likely to be preserved in waterlogged deposits in the bottom of the moat. Evidence for earlier land use, predating the construction of the moat, may also survive in soils buried beneath the raised central platform.

Details

The monument includes a moated site situated on level ground some 200m south west of Bell Farm. The moat, which is seasonally wet and ranges in width from 10m to 15m, is open to a depth of up to 2m and surrounds a small, sub- rectangular central platform raised up to 0.4m above the ground level to the south, east and north west of the moat and measuring approximately 21m south west-north east by 20m north west-south east. At the south west corner of the moat there is a short projection which probably represents the end of an outlet channel. A dished causeway across the eastern arm of the moat, which now provides access to the central platform, is not an original feature. A medieval lead seal and a 13th century seal matrix found in the vicinity of the moat provide evidence for the high, probably manorial status of the site.

A fence around the outer edge of the moat 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. 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:

30549

Legacy System:

RSM

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