Moated site and medieval settlement remains at Church End, 600m east of Ewefields Farm

Reasons for Designation

Medieval rural settlements in England were marked by great regional diversity in form, size and type, and the protection of their archaeological remains needs to take these differences into account. To do this, England has been divided into three broad Provinces on the basis of each area's distinctive mixture of nucleated and dispersed settlements. These can be further divided into sub-Provinces and local regions, possessing characteristics which have gradually evolved during the past 1500 years or more. This monument lies in the Inner Midlands sub-Province of the Central Province, an area characterised by large numbers of nucleated settlements, both surviving and deserted, many of which are thought to have been established in Anglo-Saxon times. Most of the sub-Province's thinly scattered dispersed settlements were created in post-medieval times, but some of the local regions are characterised by higher proportions of dispersed dwellings and hamlets, which probably mark the patchy survival of older landscapes.

The remains of the medieval settlement, moat and fishponds at Church End survive well as earthwork and buried features around the church. Remains of houses and outbuildings as well as gardens and allotments will demonstrate the size and status of this part of the medieval settlement and will include evidence for the occupations of the people who lived there. Buried artefacts will provide dating evidence for the development and decline of the settlement, as well as information about the daily life and wealth of the inhabitants. The waterlogged sections of the moat and fishponds will preserve buried environmental evidence which will illustrate the diet and health of the population as well as providing information about the medieval agricultural regime and the surrounding natural environment. The cemetery is believed to include burials of much of the local rural population from the medieval period onwards. It will therefore provide information about the health, vitality and mortality rates within the population over time. The remains of the field system, roads and boundaries will provide evidence for the wider landscape setting, communication network and rural environment surrounding the settlement.

Details

The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of the medieval settlement, moated site and fishponds at Church End, Chesterton. A hamlet known as Church End is mentioned in medieval documents and may represent the earliest medieval settlement in the parish. The earliest material in St Giles Church dates from the 12th century, but it may stand on the site of an earlier building. Church End is first recorded in documents of 1287 and buildings survived here until the 19th century. The settlement remains surround St Giles Church and include the remains of a small moated manorial site and a string of fishponds to the north of the church. The moated site includes a sub- rectangular moat, which is best preserved on the north and west side having been partially infilled during the 1980s on its southern side. Foundations for two stone bridge abutments were recorded during the 1960s, although these are no longer visible. Cultivation of the area just west of the moat in 1984 revealed the stone foundations of an extensive and high status building. The fishponds include at least two linear ponds orientated north east to south west, and records suggest that there was originally a chain of four ponds which may later have been landscaped into the grounds of the later mansion. To the north of the ponds is a substantial leat, with a large linear bank on its southern side; both features are orientated north east to south west and measure at least 50m long. These are believed to represent the site of an early water mill. Documents suggest that John Peyto rebuilt the manor near the church during 1470. It was then abandoned by the family around 1650 and replaced by a classical mansion of three stories located on the crest of the hill to the north. The later mansion was destroyed in the 19th century. A small hamlet associated with the manor existed to the south of the moated site and the church, at least three building platforms of which can be seen lying between Church Lane and the modern fishing pool. The creation of the pool is considered to have destroyed further settlement remains and this area is not included in the scheduling. St Giles Church, the churchwarden's cottage and the northern half of the church cemetery are totally excluded from the scheduling, both above and below ground. The southern half of the church cemetery and the gardens of the churchwarden's cottage are, however, included. All fences, modern surfaces, all the tombs and headstones including three examples Listed Grade II, the churchyard wall and the Listed Grade II* brick built gateway on the northern side of the cemetery, are all 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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

35105

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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