Moated site 110m south west of St Mary's 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 and associated earthworks 110m south west of St Mary's Church survive well. It is largely undisturbed and both the moated site and associated building platform will retain evidence for structures and other features relating to the period of occupation. The buried silts in the base of the moat ditch will contain both artefacts relating to the period of occupation and environmental evidence for the appearance of the landscape in which the monument was set. Fishponds are artificially created pools of slow moving fresh water constructed for the purpose of cultivating, breeding and storing fish in order to provide a constant and sustainable food supply. The tradition of constructing and using fishponds began in the medieval period and reached a peak of popularity in the 12th century. They were largely the province of the wealthier sectors of medieval society, and are considered important as a source of information concerning the economy of various classes of medieval settlements and institutions. The fishponds and other earthworks south west of St Mary's Church survive well and will provide further evidence for the economy and status of the site. This monument lies in an area where moated sites are relatively numerous, and a further moated site is situated approximately 2.5km away at Tetchwick. Comparisons between sites such as these will provide valuable insights into developments into the nature of settlement and society in the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes a medieval moated site with associated fishponds, a building platform, a hollow way and the remains of settlement earthworks. It is sited towards the south western corner of the village of Ludgershall between Brill Road and the railway line. The moated site includes a roughly rectangular island measuring approximately 42m NNW-SSE by 26m ENE-WSW which is raised approximately 0.5m above the surrounding ground level. This is contained by a ditch averaging 8m across and 1m deep, the flat base of which is seasonally wet. An outer bank, thought to be the upcast from the ditch, is visible on the west and east sides. Access to the island is thought to have been by bridge. A shallow hollow, approximately 1m in diameter, which lies towards the southern end of the east side of the island is thought to mark the site of such a structure. Two leats, each about 1m wide, extend in a roughly northerly direction from the two northern corners of the moat for a maximum of 6m before being truncated by a modern drainage ditch marking the northern boundary of the field. About 18m to the west of the moat and parallel with its western arm is a large fishpond which measures approximately 68m long, a maximum of 8m wide and 0.4m deep. A bank, measuring up to 4m wide, on the western side, is thought to be upcast from the pond. Between the fishpond and the northern end of the western arm of the moat is a further small fishpond, similarly aligned, which measures about 14m long, 6m wide and 0.3m wide. The northern ends of both fishponds are truncated by the modern field boundary to the north, which is not included in the scheduling. Approximately 28m from the south east corner of, and aligned with, the moat is a building platform which measures about 14m north to south by 20m east to west and about 0.3m high which is considered to represent an ancillary structure related to the moated site: perhaps a stable, barn or other building. A hollow way runs in a westerly direction from the Brill Road passing between the moat and the building platform before fading out towards the southern end of the large fishpond. Poorly defined earthworks immediately to the south of the hollow way are thought to represent associated settlement activity and a small sample of these is included in the scheduling. The field in which the moat stands is shown as `Dove House Close' on the 1780 inclosure map suggesting that it may, at one time, have contained a dovecote. The Antiquarian George Lipscomb, writing in 1847, mentions that the plot of land on which the moat stands was traditionally known as `King Ludd's Hall'.

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:

32105

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Sheahan, J, History and Topography of Buckinghamshire, (1862), 398
Lipscomb, G, History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham, (1847), 305,311

Other
Title: Ludgershall Inclosure Map Source Date: 1780 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: BRO ref: IR/109R
Contract no 533 print 3362 (run 215), British Gas Cartological Services Ltd,
Contract no 533 print 3362 (run 215), British Gas Cartographical Services Ltd,
Contract no 533 print 3363 (run 215), British Gas Cartographical Services Ltd,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.