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 at Moat Farm, 450m south of Cobbler's Corner, survives well.
The island remains largely undisturbed by post-medieval and modern activity
and will retain archaeological evidence for structures and other features
relating to the development and character of the site throughout the periods
of occupation. The buried silts in the base of the moat on the south side will
contain artefacts relating to the period of occupation and organic materials,
including environmental evidence for the character of the landscape in which
the moated site was set.
Comparisons between this site and further examples, both locally and more
widely, will provide valuable insights into developments in the nature of
settlement in medieval England.
Details
The monument includes a medieval moated site immediately to the south of Moat
Farm, 450m south of Cobbler's Corner.
The moated site includes a roughly rectangular island which measures up to 69m
north-south by 52m east-west. This is enclosed by a water-filled moat,
measuring up to 10m wide and at least 1.5m in depth, which in recent times has
been revetted with wood along the outer edge of the north arm. The north east
corner of the moat extends into a small pond-like feature, approximately 14m
across, which may at one time have been used for watering horses. The island
is approached via a causeway, about 5m wide, across the east arm of the moat,
and via a wooden footbridge across the north arm.
The moated site is marked on a map of 1595 which depicts a building in the
centre with the name `Tenements Claydons'. The post-medieval farmhouse to the
north of the moat is thought to represent the successor to a house on the
island.
The footbridge across the north arm of the moat and the wooden revetting along
the north arm, the stones lining the pond, all fencing, all made up surfaces
and the outhouses immmediately to the north of the pond feature, are 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.
