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.
Details
The monument includes a medieval moated site known as Castle Dyke, located in
Castledike Wood, approximately 1.5km south west of the hamlet of Aunby. Aunby
originally formed part of the manor of Bytham which, together with other parts
of the manor, passed to the earls of Albemarle shortly after the Conquest. The
manor of Bytham then came into the possession of the de Colville family,
thought to have been resident in Aunby during the 12th century. It is believed
that Aunby was established during a period of population growth in the late
12th to early 13th centuries; a documentary reference to assarting (woodland
clearance) taking place at Aunby dates to the early 13th century.
The monument takes the form of a moated island, lying on fairly level ground,
which is in turn enclosed by an embanked ditch to create an outer enclosure
with a smaller subrectangular enclosure extending from its south western
corner. The moated site and surrounding enclosures cover an area measuring
approximately 170m by 95m and are thought to represent a manorial complex of
medieval origin.
The island is subrectangular in plan, measuring approximately 50m by 45m, and
is enclosed by a moat measuring up to 6m in width and 1m deep. The moat is
lined by an internal bank measuring 4m to 5m in width and up to 0.5m high.
Access to the island is via a causeway which crosses the southern moat arm,
close to the south east corner. The island would have been occupied by
buildings such as a manor house and domestic or ancillary buildings, the
buried remains of which are thought to survive below ground level.
The moated island is in turn enclosed by a second, outer, ditch on three
sides, to the north, east and south, lying at a distance of 12m to 35m from
the moat. The ditch measures up to 6m wide and 1m deep and is lined by an
internal bank 3m wide and up to 0.5m high along the eastern arm and part of
the northern and southern arms. On the western side of the monument there are
no visible remains of the western arm of the ditch, although the curve of the
ditch at the north west corner indicates that the ditch formerly continued to
the south and will survive as an infilled feature. The southern arm of the
outer ditch is crossed by a causeway, positioned opposite the entrance to the
moated island. The outer enclosure thus created would have been occupied by
ancillary buildings or would have provided accommodation for stock.
At its south western corner the outer ditch curves to the south and leads into
a narrower ditch which forms a subrectangular enclosure measuring 30m by 20m.
The ditch, measuring 4m in width and up to 0.5m deep, feeds back into the
larger outer ditch at its north western corner. This smaller enclosure would
have provided a paddock for stock.
All fence posts and hides are excluded from the scheduling, although the
ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
33132
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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.
End of official list entry
