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Moated site 800m NNW of Pipplepen Farmhouse

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1018923
Date first listed:: 03-Aug-1976

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1018923
Date first listed:: 03-Aug-1976
Date of most recent amendment:: 06-Jul-1999

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Somerset (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: North Perrott
National Grid Reference:: ST 47172 08399

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 medieval moated site 800m NNW of Pipplepen Farmhouse survives well and will contain archaeological deposits and environmental evidence relating to the moated site and the landscape in which it was constructed. It is a good example of its class and documentary evidence suggests it was the medieval mansion residence of the De Pipplepens.

Details

The monument includes a medieval moated site on Pipplepen Farm, situated on level ground in an area of gently undulating hills east of the River Parrett. The moated site, of an irregular diamond shape, follows a north to south alignment and includes a central platform and moat. The platform is elevated above the surrounding ground level and is approximately 80m long and 75m across. It is enclosed by a moat with an average depth of 4m and varying width of 3m to 6m wide. It is water-logged for most of its circuit. An external bank encloses the moat and this is most apparent on the north side where it survives as a low earthwork up to 8m wide. Traces of buildings within the moated area have been recorded in the past and although these are no longer visible at ground level, they are likely to survive as below ground features. An entrance into the enclosed area, located on the east side of the moat, is considered to be the original access. Another entrance located on the south west is a more recent addition. A contemporary reference records that a manor called Pupelpenne, or Pipplepen, had been created by 1219 and it is believed that the moated site is probably the medieval mansion home of the De Pipplepens. The concrete drain, which runs in to the north east corner of the moat, together with all fence posts, 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:: 32161
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Batten, J, 'Proceedings of Somerset Archaeological & Natural History Society' in Notes on North Perriott, , Vol. 41, (1895), 80-81

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.