Details

The monument is Earlshaw Hall moat which is sometimes known as Beesthorpe Hall
moat. It includes a roughly square island, measuring approximately 30m along
each side, enclosed by a ditch which varies between 10m and 15m wide and
survives to a depth of c.1m. Formerly, the ditch would have been somewhat
deeper but has gradually silted up. The lack of a causeway indicates that
access to the island, and the buildings on it, would have been via a bridge.

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.

Earlshaw Hall moat is a reasonably well-preserved example of a small domestic
moat whose earthworks survive well. It has suffered little disturbance since
it was abandoned and so the buried remains of the buildings and structures
which formerly occupied the site will survive throughout the enclosed island.

Source: Historic England