Details

The monument includes a moated site set on low lying ground to the south of
the Malvern Hills. The moated site includes a trapeziodal four-armed moat
enclosing an island aligned north west to south east, measuring 24m by 24m
narrowing to 14m on the south east. The moat would have originally been 28m
wide at its northwestern point, although this has been reduced generally to
16m, and 7m at its narrowest through the dumping of rubble into the moat
during the 1980s and 1990s. It is water-filled and over 3m in depth. The
moat was originally fed by a stream which runs into its south western corner,
but has since been dammed. Although not visible at ground level, the buried
remains of buildings will survive on the island.
Although the present farmhouse is comparatively modern, Aubrey's Place is
first mentioned in a document of 1424, and the moat itself is recorded in a
conveyance of about 1600 when a plot of land is described as `being
encompassed with a mote or pool of water'. It is likely, however, that a moat
was first constructed on the site between 1250 and 1350.
The Dutch barn and its concrete flooring where they impinge on the moat's
protective margin are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground
beneath 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 at Aubrey's Farm is of an unusual size and survives in a
relatively undisturbed condition, unencumbered by later buildings. Buried
deposits on the island are likely to include the remains of medieval
structures, and will contain archaeological information relating to the
construction and subsequent occupation and use of the moated site. Within the
moat, waterlogged deposits will preserve further archaeological remains
relating to the occupation and use of the site, along with organic material
which will provide information about the economy of the site and the local
environment during the medieval period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Wynn Lloyd, W, 'Trans. of the Bristol and Glos. Arch. Society' in Bromsberrow, , Vol. XLV, (1923), 151-2

Source: Historic England