Details

The monument lies south of Coddington village and includes a moat, two
fishponds, a group of smaller fishstews or breeding pools, and a pond bay or
dam dividing the two larger ponds. The moat has a roughly square platform,
measuring approximately 60m along each side, surrounded by a water-filled
ditch with a depth of c.2m and an average width of 10m. On the east side, the
ditch is crossed by a 4m wide causeway and there is a faint rectangular
building platform on the south side of the island.
Extending northwards from the north-west corner of the moat, and linked to it
by a sluice which would originally have been controlled by a wooden gate, is a
roughly rectangular water-filled fishpond. This measures 35m from north to
south by 15m from east to west and is divided from a second rectangular pond
to the north by a 3m wide pond bay or dam. This pond bay is now grassed over
but the stones from which it is constructed can be seen above the water-line
of the pond to the south. The pond to the north measures 40m from north to
south by 15m east to west and is now dry. At its north end it has been
partially filled-in by the modern farm track. To the east are two small
fishstews while a further two lie south of the pond bay adjacent to the south
pond. The northernmost of the latter fishstews can be seen to have connected
at right-angles via a sluice to the north end of the pond, while a similar
arrangement may have connected the southernmost of the two northern fishstews
to the north pond. The surface of the farm track bisecting the northern part
of the north fishpond is excluded from the scheduling although the ground
beneath is included.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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 moat at Coddington is a very well-preserved example of a waterfilled moat
with associated fishponds and other water-management features. It has
suffered only minimal disturbance since it was abandoned and so the remains of
buildings and ancillary features will survive throughout the platform. In
addition, organic remains will be preserved in the moat and in the waterfilled
fishpond.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Dickinson, W, History of Newark47

Source: Historic England