Moated site in Moat Wood, 580m east of Halland Park 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 last 1500 years or more. This monument lies in the Eastern Weald sub-Province of the South-eastern Province, bounded by the North and South Downs and comprising an oval arrangement of inward facing escarpments of chalk and sandstone, separated by clay vales, all ringing a higher sandstone ridge. Apart from concentrations of nucleated settlements in the Vale of Holmsdale and around Canterbury, the sub- Province is dominated by high and very high densities of dispersed settlements, giving a countryside with farmsteads and associated enclosed fields, of medieval foundation, intermixed with cottages, medieval moated sites and hamlets bearing the names `green' or `dene'.

Around 6000 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 eaastern 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 in Moat Wood, 580m east of Halland Park Farm represents the predominant dispersed form of medieval rural settlement within the Eastern Weald sub-Province and survives well, exhibiting little subsequent disturbance. The monument will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the original use and abandonment of the settlement.

Details

The monument includes a medieval moated site, situated on the south western outskirts of East Hoathly village, on low lying ground which forms part of the Sussex Weald. The roughly north west-south east aligned moated site survives in the form of earthworks and associated buried remains. The square, central island measures around 35m across and is surrounded by a ditch, up to 19m wide and 1.3m deep. The north western and north eastern arms of the moat remain partly water- filled. Elsewhere, the ditch has become partly infilled over the years, and contains a low, central bank in the south east, about 4m wide and 0.3m high. The ditch was in turn surrounded by an outer bank, and sections of the bank, measuring up to 6m wide and 1m high, survive around the western corner of the moat and along its north eastern side. The eastern corner of the moat has been partly disturbed by past modern drainage operations, and the outer bank has been partly levelled by other activities, including the construction and use of the footpaths on the north western and south western sides of the moat. Although no upstanding remains of former buildings have been identified, traces of buildings can be expected to survive as buried features beneath the present ground surface of the central island.

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:

32278

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.