Moated site 170m south east of Cranley 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 moated site 170m south east of Cranley Hall survives well and is of particular interest because of its association with the medieval moated site of Cranley Hall manor. The moat and central island will contain archaeological information concerning its construction and use in the medieval and early post-medieval periods. Organic materials, including evidence for the local environment in the past, are likely to be preserved in waterlogged deposits in the moat.

Details

The monument includes a small moated site located on a low spur to the south of Cranley Green Road. It is associated with the larger moated site at Cranley Hall which lies to the north west of it and is the subject of a separate scheduling.

The moat, which is between 5m and 9m wide and contains water, surrounds a sub-rectangular island measuring approximately 25m east-west by a maximum of 18m. An outlet channel up to 5m wide and open to a depth of up to 1m issues from the south east corner of the moat, running in a curve east and north eastwards to join a field drainage system.

The moated site is recorded on a map of Cranley Hall manor made in 1626 which depicts trees on the central island and a bridge across the northern arm of the moat. Originally it is likely to have contained a building or buildings, but the evidence of the map suggests that by the 17th century it was used as an orchard or a garden with ornamental trees.

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:

30596

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: The Description of the Scite of the Mannor of Cranlye Hall Source Date: 1626 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: C20th copy in SRO Ref. HD78:2671 Eye

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