Details

The monument includes a moated site comprising the remains of two moated
enclosures and associated features which are located in a field known as Hall
Yards, on a platform on the hill slope overlooking Weybourne village, 450m to
the north. The larger of the two moats is visible as an earthwork, to the
north east of which lie the remains of the second, smaller moat and channels
connecting the two. The modern Holt Road which runs c.40m to the east of the
moats was known formerly as Hall Road, and the names of both the field and the
road are evidence that this was at one time the site of a manor. The original
Holt Road, which ran to the west, is now under plough, although the line can
still be traced in the ploughsoil.

The larger moated site is roughly trapezoidal in plan, widest at the southern
end, with overall dimensions of c.78m north-south by c.56m east-west. The
central island, measuring c.50m north-south by a maximum 35m east-west, is
surrounded by a spring fed moat which has become partly silted, but which
still contains running water in the bottom and has a visible depth of c.1.5m.
The southern, western, and eastern arms of the moat are c.10m wide at the top,
with sloping sides, but the northern arm is much broader, measuring c.18m
across and shelving very gradually on the outer, northern side. A modern
field drain occupies the bottom of the eastern arm and issues from the north
east corner.

A slight hollow in the ground surface externally adjacent to the north east
corner marks the site of an extension of the northern arm which, according to
a map of c.1700, projects eastwards for a distance of c.38m. The map, as
recorded in a copy made c.1850 by William Bolding, a local antiquarian, also
shows a narrower channel leading from the eastern end of this extension into
the south east corner of the second, smaller moat c.15m to the north. These
earthworks are now infilled, but will survive as buried features. The smaller
moat, as recorded in the map, is approximately square in plan with a small
central island and an outlet issuing eastwards from the north east corner. The
overall dimensions are estimated to be c.35m square.

The protected area comprises two overlapping sub-rectangular elements
containing the larger moat and the buried features to the north east of it,
with maximum dimensions of 82m north-south by 60m east west, and 87m north-
south by 60m east-west respectively. It includes a margin of 2m around the
outer edges of the larger moat, considered essential for the support and
protection of the monument, and a margin of up to 10m around the estimated
line of the outer edges of the buried features, the precise location of which
is uncertain.

Sherds of medieval pottery found during investigations on the island of the
larger moated site are evidence for occupation of the site during that period,
and finds of Roman pottery and other remains in the immediate vicinity testify
to activity predating the construction of the moats.

The manor of Weybourne was granted to Weybourne priory by Sir Ralph Mainwaring
at its foundation around the beginning of the 13th century, and was held by
the priory until the suppression in 1536.

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 380m SSW of Rosedale Farm survives well as a whole, and
although the smaller moat in the north eastern part of the monument has been
infilled, it will survive as a buried feature and retain archaeological
evidence relating to its construction and use. The earthworks of the larger
moat remain intact, and the central island is unencumbered by modern building.
The greater part of the moat has not undergone any recent disturbance and
contains waterlogged deposits in which organic material, including evidence
for the local environment in the past, will be preserved. The finds of pottery
recorded from the central island are evidence that the monument retains
archaeological deposits relating to occupation during the medieval period, and
the probable association with Weybourne priory, the remains of which lie
c.600m to the north east, give it additional interest. Deposits relating to
earlier occupation of the site are likely to be preserved also within the
protected area, as is shown by finds of pottery and other material dated to
the Roman period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Lawson, AK, 6304: North Norfolk, Weybourne, (1979)
Middleton, P, (1994)
Title: Annotated copy of Map of c.1700
Source Date: 1850
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
ms record of local antiquities

Source: Historic England