Details

The moated site at Walgrave lies to the north of Walgrave village and forms
part of the present village recreation ground. The site is considered to be
the location of the manor house and of a small associated fish pond.
The moated area is square and is almost completely surrounded by a flat
bottomed ditch up to 3m deep and 10m wide. The moat system was supplied by the
small stream which runs to the east of the site and the east ditch of the moat
is still waterlogged. This stream also supplies water to the small pond which
lies to the north of the moat and a water channel links the moat ditches and
the pond. To the west and south of the moated site are the earthwork remains
of further water channels which formed part of the water management system on
the site.
The moat island is about 35m square and is reached by a narrow causeway which
crosses the west ditch. On the south side of the moat island a raised
rectangular building platform indicates the site of a former building.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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.

Walgrave moat is the location of the medieval manor house of the village and
as the island is well preserved and undisturbed it will retain archaeological
evidence of the period. The site has a well defined and complex system of
water channels and small ponds which surround the manor house site.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, , Archaeological Sites in North East Northamptonshire, (1979), 146-8

Source: Historic England