Moated site S of Manor Farm House

Summary

A medieval moated site.

Reasons for Designation

* Archaeological national importance: the site is a medieval moated site, a class of monument which is important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside; they are generally of national importance where they survive well
* Survival: the moated site is apparently unaltered, and has not been excavated or otherwise disturbed
* Potential: the site has significant potential within the waterlogged deposits in the ditches, and in the largely undisturbed island, for both occupational and environmental evidence
* Historic interest: it forms part of the former medieval settlement, and sits within an extensive landscape of medieval ridge and furrow, which is itself of national importance, though not included within the scheduling

History

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 Willoughby is situated to the south of the C18 Manor Farm House and to the south-west of the early-C16 parish church. It is considered to be a medieval homestead moat which may have been occupied by an earlier manor house. There is considerable documentary evidence recorded for settlement at Willoughby which reflects a complex history of land ownership in the area; although none of the records can be firmly tied to the moated site itself.

The moat appears to have been incorporated into a C19 garden scheme for the manor house, shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1886, where a line of trees along the western edge of the paddock in which the moat sits had been planted along a path reaching from the garden at the rear of the house to the north-western corner of the moat. The moated site is shown in its current form on this map. It remains part of the wider garden of Manor Farm House.

Details

A medieval homestead moat, situated at the southern end of a field approximately 118m to the south of Manor Farm and measuring roughly 55m by 67m in total. The wide ditches, which remain waterlogged, enclose a rectangular island. At the south-eastern corner of the site, the ditches project eastwards slightly to enclose a second, smaller island which may have been used for waterfowl. It is understood that the moat was spring-fed, although a leat entering at the north-west corner of the site may have supplemented the water supply. The outlet is visible at the south-western corner. The ditches vary in width between about 5m and about 14m, and they are between 1m to 2m in depth. The principal island is circa 0.8 hectares in area, and the smaller island covers circa 25 square metres. The field in which the moated site is located contains a number of distinct earthworks whose purpose is not known; they may relate to features forming part of an earlier garden for the manor and are not included in the scheduling.

Sources

Other
Benchmark Archaeology, Land at Pear Tree Farm, Moor Lane, Willoughby, Warwickshire: an assessment of the Significance of the Ridge and Furrow and other Historic Landscape Components, 2011,
Shrunken medieval settlement at Willoughby: Warwickshire HER record MWA6395,
Moat 200 S of Church, Willoughby: Warwickshire HER record MWA3055,
Willoughby Manor (manor Farm) garden, Willoughby: Warwickshire HER record MWA12706,

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