Details

The monument is situated approximately 80m south east of Church Farm, in the
parish of Morton Bagot, and includes a moated site, the site of a watermill
and a length of a trackway.
The moated site is an irregular ovoid in plan and has been constructed out of
the side of a gently sloping hill. It has external dimensions of 120m north
west-south east and up to 80m north east-south west. The moat arms have
steeply sloping sides and are approximately 15m wide and up to 2.5m deep. They
are now mostly dry, although the northern part of the moat remains
waterfilled. An external bank, 11m wide across its base, is visible along the
south west and southern sides of the moat. The south east part of the moat has
become infilled, but it will survive as a buried feature, and part of the
external bank in this area has been levelled.
Access onto the moated island is by means of a causeway across the north
west part of the moat and this is thought to mark the site of the original
entrance to the site. The moated island itself, has an oval plan and measures
65m north west-south east and 45m north east-south west, an area of
approximately 0.28ha. It has been artificially raised above the surrounding
ground surface and is now partly occupied by a 17th century timber-framed
barn, Listed Grade II, and a modern agricultural building. These structures
are not included in the scheduling. There are intermittent traces of an inner
bank around the perimeter of the moated island.
Documentary records indicate that during the 17th century the moated site was
occupied by a building described as Lord Carrington's Lodge House.
In the northern part of the site, the northern side of the moat has been
modified and widened. A retaining bank, 10m wide, has been constructed along
the northern side of the moat arm in order to create a waterfilled pond. This
pond was described as a fishpond in the 19th century but it is thought to be
the remains of a millpond associated with the earthwork remains of a
watermill. The pond would have originally provided a sufficient head of water
to drive the mill-wheel. The mill site is located at the southern end
of a levelled terrace and immediately to the east of the millpond at the north
east end of the retaining bank. The terrace is aligned north west-south
east and has been cut into the hillside. Although no longer visible on the
ground surface, the mill building and its associated wheel-pit will survive as
buried features. A shallow channel, approximately 0.5m wide, is visible
running parallel with the south west side of the terrace. This is thought to
be the tailrace for the watermill. At the northern end of the terrace the
earthwork remains of a trackway are visible. This feature can be traced
running eastwards from the terrace towards the site of a pit, now disused,
which is approximately 60m to the north east of the terrace. The trackway
clearly links the site of the watermill with the disused pit.
The timber-framed barn, the adjoining agricultural building, the remains of a
concrete silage store and the concrete floor surfaces (all situated within the
moated island) and all fence posts, 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.
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 moated site 80m south east of Church Farm survives well and is largely
unencumbered by modern development. Evidence for the building which originally
occupied the moated island will survive beneath the ground surface and the
moat arms will retain environmental evidence for the economy of the moated
site's inhabitants. The site of the watermill and, in particular, the terrace
upon which it is located, and the trackway will provide valuable information
for the industrial reuse of the site.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Bond, DM, The Victoria History of the County of Warwickshire: Morton Bagot, (1946), 134

Source: Historic England