Moated site at Yen Hall 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 at Yen Hall Farm survives well. Despite some infilling of the west side of the moat, the island remains largely undisturbed and will retain buried evidence for the medieval manor house and other features relating to its construction and occupation. The buried silts in the base of the moat will contain both artefacts relating to the period of occupation and environmental evidence for the appearance of the landscape in which the moated site is set. In addition, the moated site is particularly well documented and this historical information will enhance our understanding of the archaeological remains.

Comparisons between this site and further examples, both locally and more widely, will provide valuable insights into the developments in the nature of settlement and society in the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes a medieval moated site at Yen Hall Farm which lies approximately 800m north of the village of West Wickham.

The moated site includes a sub-oval shaped island measuring approximately 60m north to south and at least 50m east to west which is raised by at least 1m above the surrounding ground surface. The island is the site of a medieval manor house recorded in 1315. The remains of the manor house and its ancillary buildings are believed to survive as buried features. The island is enclosed by a semi-waterfilled moat which is spring-fed and measures on average 8m wide and up to 2m deep. Part of the moat on the western side of the moated site has been infilled but survives as a buried feature. The dam across the south east side of the moat is a modern addition.

Eanheale was first recorded in 974 as an estate granted by King Eadfar to his thegn, Elfhelm Polga; at the time of Domesday it was held by Lambert de Rosey under the lordship of William de Warenne. By 1209 the Lordship of `Enhale' had passed to the Bardolfs and was held by the de Rosey family until about 1279. Thereafter it passed through a number of owners, suffering a decline during the 13th and 14th centuries. By the 18th century it comprised only a single farmhouse complex. The present Yen Hall, a Listed Building Grade II, stands outside the area of the scheduling and is believed to represent a 17th century successor to the medieval manor house which formerly occupied the island.

The pheasant run and pheasant feeders and all fencing 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:

33282

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Salzman, L F, The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, (1948), 43
The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire, (), 117-118
Charge, B B, Journal of the Haverhill and District Archaeological Group in Field Survey of sites at Yen Hall, West Wickham, Cambs., Vol. 6, Pt.1, (1995), 50,52

Other
Title: Enclosure map of West Wickham Source Date: 1812 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: CRO: Q/RDc 39

End of official list entry

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