Details

Kinsley moat is situated south of Carr Farm in the former Kinsley Park. The
monument includes a single rectangular island, measuring c.60m by 25m,
surrounded by a water-filled moat varying between 7 and 10m wide and fed from
an underground spring.
Although there are no visible remains of the medieval manor house that
formerly occupied the island, its foundations and related archaeological
deposits survive below ground. Until recently, a marshy area immediately
north of the moat indicated the former existence of a fishpond, but this has
now been destroyed by the creation of an ornamental lake and is not included
in the scheduling. However, a second fishpond can still be seen to the north-
east and is included within a separate constraint area. Part of a channel
which once fed from the moat to the first fishpond can also still be seen as a
shallow, marshy depression leading from the north-east corner of the moat and
is included in the scheduling.

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.

Kinsley moat has suffered little disturbance in the past and building
foundations and other archaeological material will survive extensively on the
island. Organic and environmental material will be preserved in the
waterlogged deposits of the fishpond and wet moat.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hunter, J, South Yorkshire , (1831)
Le Patourel, H E J, Moated site of Yorkshire, (1973)

Source: Historic England