Details

This monument consists of a moated site which includes the remains of Beaulieu
Hall and gardens. This is a large moated site, roughly trapezoidal in shape,
which covers an area of 3.3 ha. The site was originally completely surrounded
by a moat ditch which survives on the north, south and west sides of the site.
The moat ditch is flat bottomed and up to 12m wide and 1.5m deep. Two water
channels originally ran south from the north arm and in the south east of the
site are the remains of several small fishponds, one of which is still
waterfilled.
The moat island is considered to have been occupied by a manor house in the
medieval period when the site belonged to Ramsey Abbey. The Montagu family
acquired the Manor in 1540, and remains of Beaulieu Hall, built by them in the
late 16th century, stand within the moat island. The Hall is a Grade II listed
building, and remains of foundations of 16th century and earlier buildings
have also been found to the south of the present house. To the west of the
present building three small rectangular platforms surrounded by ditches show
the position of ornamental gardens associated with the later manor house and a
deep double ditch in the south of the site is also considered to be a garden
feature.
The house and outbuildings on the site are excluded from the scheduling but
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.

Beaulieu Hall is an impressively large moated site with a diversity of well
defined archaeological features and potential for preservation of
environmental evidence in waterlogged deposits. The site is well documented
and is likely to preserve the remains of both the medieval manor house and the
post-medieval hall built by the Montagu family. Earthworks of ornamental
garden features associated with the buildings are unusually well preserved.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, , Archaeological Sites in North East Northamptonshire, (1979), 52-3

Source: Historic England