Details

The moated site at Stoke Doyle lies to the east of the present village and
north of a small brook.
The moat is almost rectangular in shape and measures approximately 125m x
100m. The moat island is also sub-rectangular and is completely surrounded by
a ditch between 12m and 15m in width and up to 2m deep. The ditches have steep
sides and a flat bottom, and although now dry, were originally linked to the
stream by a water channel in the north west corner of the moat. On the moat
island a substantial north-south rectangular depression measuring about 35m x
5m indicates the location of a former building. Around the east and south east
edge of the moat ditches lies an outer bank 0.5m high which assisted water
retention in the moat. There is no indication of a causeway crossing the
moated ditches to the island and access must have been gained by a superficial
bridge. Earthwork remains of the shifted medieval village lie to the north
west of the moated site.

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.

Stoke Doyle is a small, well preserved moat which illustrates the ideal
location for such a site, close to a stream in the bottom of a valley. The
site retains evidence of well defined water management features, including a
channel and outer retaining banks. The undisturbed island will preserve
archaeological evidence and provide information on the construction and
development of the building within the moat.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, , Archaeological Sites in North East Northamptonshire , (1975), 89-91

Source: Historic England