Details

The monument is situated on the north facing slope of a low hill within the
outskirts of Solihull and includes a moated site, known as Hob's Moat, and the
earthwork remains of a section of a hollow way.
The moated site has external dimensions of approximately 137m north to south
and 115m east to west. The steep sided moat ditches are dry and measure up to
15m wide and 2.5m deep. External banks are visible on all four sides of the
moated site and, although the northern and eastern banks have been lowered,
they can be traced on the ground surface. The banks are approximately 12m wide
at their base and have an average height of 1.8m.
The moated island is 0.5ha in area and slopes gradually from south to north.
There is an internal enclosure bank on the west, north and east sides of the
island, running parallel to the moat ditches; its height is greatest at
the corners. An excavation across a section of the inner bank in 1985 provided
evidence for the bank's construction; deposits of stony clay mounded up over a
sandy gravel core. A second bank was located beneath the inner one which
consists of a sandy bank revetted on either side by bands of cobbles set in
clay. This feature is earlier in date than the inner bank and employs
a different construction technique. An excavation in the southern half of the
moated island has indicated that the structures which originally occupied the
island will survive as buried features. The remains of a small structure,
bounded by walls set within shallow foundation slots, were located during the
excavation. A number of fragments of 13th century pottery were also recovered.
Access onto the moated island is by means of a causeway midway along the
eastern moat ditch. This corresponds with an adjacent break in the inner bank
and is considered to be an original entrance. A second break in the bank is
visible approximately 25m to the north of the causeway. An excavation within
this break has recovered evidence for a collapsed sandstone wall, and
suggested a late 13th century date for its construction. The remains of the
wall had been overlaid by an area of cobbling, approximately 2m square, and
this was thought to represent the base of a structure situated on the inside
edge of the break in the bank. There is a third gap in the inner bank at the
north eastern corner of the moated site which is thought to be an original
feature which allowed water to drain from the moated island itself into the
moat.
Immediately alongside the northern side of Hob's Moat are the earthwork
remains of a hollow way. It is medieval in origin and is thought to have
run westwards to connect Hob's Moat with Castle Lane, which is mentioned in a
documentary record of 1339 and runs to the west and south of the moated site.
The hedgerow which defines the northern side of the hollow way has been the
subject of a species count which has indicated that it may be c.650 years old
and, therefore, contemporary with the earliest references to Castle Lane. The
visible earthworks of the hollow way are included in the scheduling in order
to preserve the relationship between this feature and the moated site itself.
Hob's Moat is traditionally associated with the Odinsells family, from whom
its name is derived, and the evidence from archaeological excavation indicates
that it was occupied until the end of the 13th or the early 14th century.

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.

Hob's Moat survives well and displays a wide range of characteristics
associated with this class of monument, including evidence for a causeway and
an internal bank. The moat ditches have silted naturally and will retain both
artefactual and environmental evidence for the occupation of the site and the
economy of its inhabitants. Part excavation has indicated that the moated
island retains structural evidence for the house which originally existed
here. The adjacent section of hollow way is clearly associated with the
occupation of Hob's Moat and it illustrates the wider setting of the moated
site.
As a monument which is open to the public, Hob's Moat serves as a valuable
educational resource and public amenity.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Pemberton, R, The Victoria History of the County of Warwickshire: Olton, (1905), 395
Gathercole, P W, 'Tranactions of Birmingham Archaeological & Historical Society' in An Excavation At Hob's Moat, Olton, , Vol. 73, (1957), 118-119
Nicholls, P S, 'West Midlands Archaeological Newsletter' in Hob's Moat, Solihull, , Vol. 13, (1986), 23
Nicholls, P S, 'West Midlands Archaeological Newsletter' in Hob's Moat, Solihull, , Vol. 13, (1986), 22
Nicholls, P S, 'West Midlands Archaeological Newsletter' in Hob's Moat, Solihull, , Vol. 13, (1986), 21

Source: Historic England