Moated site 150m north east of Inkberrow Church

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 150m north east of Inkberrow Church survives as a largely undisturbed and well-preserved example of a medieval moated settlement including associated fishponds and remnants of the agricultural regime. The undisturbed nature of the island will preserve evidence of former structures, including both domestic and ancillary buildings and their associated occupation levels. These remains will illustrate the nature of use of the site and the lifestyle of its inhabitants in addition to evidence which will facilitate the dating of the construction and subsequent periods of use of the moat.

The moat ditch can be expected to preserve earlier deposits including evidence of its construction and any alterations during its active history. In addition, the waterlogged condition of the moat will preserve environmental information about the ecosystem and landscape in which it was set.

Fishponds are artificially created pools of slow moving fresh water constructed for the purpose of breeding and storing fish in order to provide a consistent and sustainable supply of food. The tradition of constructing and using fishponds began in the medieval period and reached a peak of popularity in the 12th century. Fishponds were often grouped together, either clustered or in line, and joined by leats; each pond being stocked with a different age or species of fish, which could be transferred to other bodies of water such as moats. They were largely the province of the wealthier sectors of society, and are considered important as a source of information concerning the economy of various classes of medieval settlements and institutions.

The fishponds immediately north east of Inkberrow moat form an integral part of the site and represent an important component of the medieval landscape. In conjunction with the ridge and furrow cultivation they provide an important complimentary source of information about the economy and subsistence of the moat's inhabitants. They are expected to preserve evidence of their construction and use, while their waterlogged deposits will provide climatic and environmental evidence and information about their management regime.

Ridge and furrow cultivation remains are the remnants of a communal system of agriculture based on large, unenclosed open arable fields. These large fields were subdivided into strips (known as lands) which were allocated to individual tenants. The cultivation of these strips with heavy ploughs pulled by oxen teams produced long, wide ridges and the resultant `ridge and furrow' where it survives is the most obvious physical indication of the open field system. Well-preserved ridge and furrow, especially in its original context adjacent to settlement earthworks, as at Inkberrow, is both an important source of information about medieval agrarian life and a distinctive contribution to the character of the landscape.

There are at least three other moated sites recorded within a 1.5km radius of Inkberrow, providing information about the relationships between settlements of this nature in the locality.

Details

The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of a medieval moated settlement, with associated water control features, fishponds, and ridge and furrow cultivation 150m north east of Inkberrow Church. The monument is located at the bottom of a valley at the foot of a steep, but low, hill upon which the church stands, at the north east extremity of Inkberrow village.

The island is rectangular, measuring 34m by 27m, and is defined by a substantial moat which, although silted, still maintains a depth of water. The moat measures up to 2m deep and 6m wide, with a low external bank following the whole of its circuit. Traces of an inlet leat from the adjacent stream, which fed the moat via a fishpond, remain in the north eastern corner although the moat now relies largely on ground drainage for its water supply. The island is generally level and undisturbed and no traces of structures are evident. There is no evidence of formal access to the island.

Adjacent to the north eastern corner of the moat is an irregularly shaped fishpond of approximately 14m diameter. This pond is fed from the north by the inlet leat from the stream, which then drained to the south to feed the north eastern corner of the moat. To the north of this pond, just above the junction of the stream and the leat, is a further fishpond, slightly larger than the first. This pond is roughly rectangular and measures approximately 60m by 20m. A leat from the stream feeds into its eastern side.

A series of drainage ditches to the north and west of the moat serve to collect surface water from the valley side and define an enclosure at the north western corner of the moat. The remains of ridge and furrow cultivation, oriented east to west, are visible to the west and north of the moat, and running to the western edge of the stream. Fragmentary remains of ridge and furrow are visible to the east of the stream, however because of their poor survival they are not included in the scheduling.

All modern post and wire fences 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.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

31941

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Moger, O, Wragge, A, The Victoria History of the County of Worcestershire, (1913)

Other
Title: Inkberrow Tithe Award Source Date: 1840 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Leigh, J., AM107 1969-1994, (1994)
various SMR Officers, SMR Records, (1967)
HBMC Schedule, (1987)
various SMR Officers, (1967)
Bond, CJ, (1967)
Aston, M, (1967)

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