Details

This monument, which is sometimes known as The Mottes, is a moated site
comprising a roughly square platform, 1.2m high, surrounded by a moat which
varies between 4.5m and 6m wide and is enclosed by an outer bank measuring 1m
high by 2m wide. The platform is 18m square and is reached by a 3.6m wide
causeway which crosses the moat midway along the north side. In 1957, a
partial excavation of the site was carried out by Nottingham University
Archaeological Society who dug three trenches, the first from the centre of
the platform into the field to the east, the second at the north-east corner
of the platform, and the third across the causeway. Aside from a concentration
of nails at the centre of the platform, no structural evidence was found
although quantities of 14th and 15th century pottery showed when the site was
in use. The excavation evidence indicated that the platform was raised by
laying rubble from the ditch onto the old land surface, topping this with a
layer of clay, and layering soil and small stones on the surface. The strong
foundation provided by this method, together with the lack of evidence for a
timber framed building, indicates that the moat may have been the site of a
stone built structure, which was possibly demolished to provide material for
later field walls. The precise function of the site is unknown but it may have
been a hunting lodge or a deer enclosure as it lies inside Duffield Frith,
600m south of the forest boundary today represented by Palerow Lane.
The field walls crossing the edges of the monument are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground underneath 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.

The moated site north of Dannah Farm is a small but well preserved example
which has been partially excavated, providing evidence of its construction,
but retains substantial unexcavated areas where further remains survive.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
'Derbyshire Archaeological Journal' in Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, , Vol. 77, (1957), 60-62
'Medieval Archaeology' in Medieval Archaeology, , Vol. 2, (1958), 202
Other
Manning, William, A Medieval Earthwork at Dannah Farm, Unpublished account in SMR

Source: Historic England