Medieval moated site 160m north east of The Hall

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 160m north east of The Hall survives well and will retain valuable archaeological features and deposits, including the remains of the principal house and associated structures, preserved beneath the present ground surface. These, together with artefactual remains, will provide evidence for the site's construction, period of occupation, and adaptation and for the status and lifestyles of the inhabitants. Environmental deposits preserved in the silts of the moat may illustrate the nature of the landscape in which the monument was set.

Details

The monument includes a medieval moated site situated 160m north east of The Hall in the village of Burrough Green. The eastern corner of the moat ditch, together with a small portion of the south eastern moat arm and adjacent area of the island, have been largely removed by the construction of a school building and are, therefore, not included in the scheduling. The site is associated with the manor of Burgh or Burrough, of which the earliest manor house is thought to have been in Park Wood to the south of the village. A later house known as The Hall, a Grade II Listed Building lying 160m south west of the scheduled area, was built in about 1575; the moated site may, therefore, represent the location either of the manor house in the intervening period, or of a subsidiary dwelling. The manor takes its name from Thomas de Burgh who was granted it by the honour of Richmond during the 12th century. The property passed by marriage to the Ingoldsthorpes in the 15th century and then to Lord Scrope of Masham. It was sold in 1574 to Sir Anthony Cage, who probably built The Hall, and was in the hands of the Slingsby family about a century later. A substantial moat ditch up to 17m wide surrounds a rectangular island measuring approximately 95m north west to south east by 64m north east to south west. No structural remains are visible, but evidence for a principal house and ancillary buildings such as stables and stores will survive beneath the present ground surface. Towards the western corner a small concreted area is thought to represent the infilled site of a former air raid shelter. Only the north western arm of the moat and the northern half of the north eastern arm remain open, the former still retaining water. Elsewhere the ditch has been infilled, although it will survive as a buried feature. To the south east, its line is visible in places as a slight depression in the ground and as a cropmark (an area of enhanced crop growth resulting from higher levels of moisture retained by the underlying archaeological features). A low bank follows the inner edge of the northern half of the north eastern moat arm and both bank and ditch are broken by a causeway. An opposing causeway also existed across the south western ditch arm. These causeways, which are oriented towards St Augustine's Church to the south west and the village to the north east, may represent original points of access to the island. Cartographic evidence shows that a track formerly ran across the island between the two causeways. Crossing the north eastern causeway, it continued as far as the main road through the village. This track is no longer visible on the island although it is expected to survive as a buried feature. Beyond the moat it has been obscured by a modern housing development. At the point of the north eastern causeway, the track intersected with a further track or hollow way, which ran from The Hall to the southern corner of the moat and around its south eastern and north eastern sides before turning west in the direction of Burrough End. It is thought that the trackway across the island is probably contemporary with the moated site. Sections of the second trackway are clearly associated with The Hall and thus cannot have been in existence before the 16th century, but it is thought that those sections closest to the moat may be medieval in origin. A section of the second trackway survives alongside the northern section of the north eastern moat arm and is included in the scheduling. Following its period of occupation the moated site was adapted for use as a garden feature associated with The Hall, and was laid out as an orchard. Remnants of the planting layout still survive towards the centre of the island. All fences, fence posts, gates, remains of the air raid shelter, playing field equipment and furniture, the temporary classroom building and modern made up surfaces are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included. The school building and its immediately adjacent pathways together with the car parking area are not included in the scheduling.

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:

33588

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Salzman, L F, The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, (1978), 141
XLIX.NW, (1908)
The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire, (), 19
The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire, (), 141

Other
conversation with owner, Talbot, Lucy, Reused timbers in The Hall: dating and association with monument, (1999)

End of official list entry

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