Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a medieval moated
site situated in an area of gently undulating land. The moat defines an
island, which measures approximately 40m north west - south east and 45m south
west - north east. Material excavated from the moat has been used to raise the
surface of the island by about 0.3m above the surrounding ground. The moat
retains water, and the arms of the moat are between 13m and 18m wide and have
an average depth on their outer sides of 1.3m. The northern part of the south
eastern arm has been extended by 10m.
The remains of a strip cultivation system (ridge and furrow) survive 40m to
the north east of the moated site, but these are not included in the
scheduling.
A number of features are excluded from the scheduling, these are; all modern
field boundaries, fences and gates and the drain inlets and the associated
control mechanism at the north eastern corner of the site; the ground beneath
all these features is, however, 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 in Moat Plantation, Newstreet Lane is a well-preserved example
of this class of monument. The moat island will retain structural and
artefactual evidence of the buildings that once stood on the site, which
together with the artefacts and organic remains in the moat, will provide
valuable information about the occupation and social status of the
inhabitants. Organic remains surviving in the buried ground surface under the
raised interior and in the moat will also provide information about changes to
the local environment and use of the land before and after the moated site was
constructed.

Source: Historic England