Details

The monument is situated on the north bank of Hulland Hollow Brook and
includes the ditch and central platform of Hulland Old Hall moat and a banked
enclosure to the north which contains the site of a chapel and a number of
platforms relating to ancillary buildings associated with the moated manor
house. A separate area lies c.200m to the east and includes a group of four
fishponds and other water-management features.
The moat consists of a rectangular platform measuring c.45m by 50m and raised
c.1m above the level of the surrounding land. The ditch varies between c.5m
and 7m wide and is surrounded by a 1m high outer bank. A channel leads from
the south-east corner of the moat to the brook which runs parallel with the
southern arm. Although the southern arm and much of the western and eastern
arms are waterlogged, it is unlikely that the ditch was ever entirely
water-filled as the north side lies at least 2m higher than the south. The
brook did not fill the moat but acted as a drain for the water soaking into
the moat from the slope to the north. Several factors indicate that it was a
particularly wet site, and this is likely to have been one reason why the hall
was eventually abandoned and rebuilt further up the hill. These include not
only the height of the platform but also the fact that, over the centuries,
the moat has become heavily silted. In addition, an overflow channel was dug
parallel to the west arm of the moat and is visible now as a linear depression
c.5m wide and 60m long. To the north of the moat is a rectangular enclosure
surrounded by a slight bank and measuring c.60m north to south by c.150m east
to west. To the west of the modern farm track, where the land is ploughed,
the enclosure is more readily seen on aerial photographs. In the pasture to
the east, however, a number of building platforms can easily be distinguished
on the ground within this enclosure. These platforms indicate the positions
of ancillary buildings associated with the manor house and will include,
amongst other examples, barns and stables. The manor is also known to have
had its own chapel and this is believed to have stood within the northern
enclosure.
To the east of the moat, now situated in woodland, is a group of two small and
two large fishponds linked by sluices and created by damming the original
course of Hulland Hollow Brook and diverting the stream to the north. The
sluices and a weir to the west were all rebuilt in the Victorian era but are
nonetheless believed to retain much of their earlier structure.
The manor, which is sometimes known as Hulland Hough, was first mentioned in
1250. The valley site was occupied until the mid-seventeenth century when
it was abandoned in favour of the current Hulland Hall. The chapel, however,
was still in use in 1712. To the east of the fishponds are a series of
earthworks which, in addition to the bed of the old Hulland Hollow Brook,
include a complex of channels and small, square banked enclosures and, at the
east end, a 3m high earth bank believed to be an abandoned dam. These
features too are believed to be associated with the moated manor but are not
included in the scheduling as they are insufficiently well understood. Also
excluded from the scheduling is the modern fencing round the moat 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.

Hulland Old Hall moat is reasonably well-preserved and retains evidence of
buildings and other activity immediately outside the moat, demonstrating well
the diversity of this monument class. Although the monument has suffered some
disturbance from ploughing, this affects only a small portion of the site and
building foundations and other archaeological material will survive
extensively and largely in situ. Well-preserved organic and environmental
material will also survive in the waterlogged deposits of the moat. In
addition, the two small fishponds are undisturbed and will also retain
well-preserved organic deposits. The larger ponds, although partially
affected by modern disturbance, nevertheless retain significant evidence of
their original form and the organic deposits which have accumulated in them.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hart, CR, North Derbyshire Archaeological Survey, (1984)
Other
Vertical/high elevation in SMRO, Derbyshire County Survey, Hulland Old Hall Moat (run 16.350), (1972)
Vertical/low elevation, Harrison, John, Hulland Old Hall Moat,

Source: Historic England