Moated site at Sneedham's Green, 220m north east of Green 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 Sneedham's Green, 220m north east of Green Farm survives well and is unencumbered by later buildings. Buried deposits on the island will include the remains of medieval structures, and will contain archaeological information relating to the construction and subsequent use of the moated site. Within the moat, waterlogged deposits will preserve archaeological remains relating to the occupation and use of the site, along with organic material, which will provide information about the economy of the site and the local environment during the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes the known extent of a moated site situated on low lying ground approximately 2km south east of the centre of Gloucester. It includes a sub-rectangular moat enclosing an island which measures 66m by 42m, and which may originally have been as large as 66m by 80m, orientated north-south. The moat is 14m wide at its widest point, 8m at its narrowest and up to 1.5m deep. Cropmarks on aerial photographs indicate that the east arm of the moat formerly extended a further 42m south and incorporated a causeway in the centre of the arm. Earthworks on the island indicate that the foundations of structures survive as buried features. The date at which the moated site was constructed is not clear, although it is likely to have been built during the main period of moat building, between 1250 and 1350.

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:

32357

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Saville, A, Archaeological sites in the Avon and Gloucestershire Cotswolds, (1980), 20-32

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