Details

The monument includes the remains of a medieval moated site and associated
fishponds, situated 225m north of Wiverton Hall. The remains include
earthworks defining a sub-rectangular moat. The north western side of the moat
is approximately 50m in length, 11m in width and a maximum of 2m in depth. The
south western and north eastern sides of the moat are 30m and 45m in length
respectively, 12m in width and 2m in depth. The south eastern side of the moat
has been infilled but will survive as a buried feature. The island within the
moat is up to 2m higher than the surrounding land. A linear depression
adjoining the north eastern corner of the moat, up to 2m in depth and
continuing on an ENE-WNW axis for 125m, is interpreted as a contemporary water
control feature in the form of a fishpond. A counterscarp bank up to 2m in
height adjoining the southern edge of the depression is comprised of spoil
from the excavation of the pond.

Documentary sources record that William the Conqueror granted manors at
Wiverton to William Peverel and Walter de Encourt. The manors changed
ownership several times before finally passing to the Chaworth family
following the marriage of Sir Thomas Chaworth to Isabel, daughter of Sir
Thomas Aylesbury. In 1448 Sir Thomas had a new manor house built south east of
the moated site and was granted licence to make a deer park. The proximity of
the moated site to the new hall and the village of Wiverton suggests that the
moated site was the location of the original manorial house. The village of
Wiverton was mentioned in Domesday but was deserted by the 16th century.

All modern fences and trackways are excluded from the scheduling although the
ground beneath them 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 remains of this moated site 225m north of Wiverton Hall survive
particularly well in the form of a series of substantial earthworks. The
monument has been subject to little disturbance with the result that the
preservation of buried deposits will be good. As a result of historical
documentation relating to the site, the remains are quite well understood, and
provide a good opportunity for understanding the development and utilization
of a manorial moated site.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
The Victoria History of the County of Nottinghamshire: Volume I, (1906)
Chaworth-Musters, L, 'Transactions of the Thoroton Society' in Some Account of the Family Called in English Chaworth, (1903)
Other
Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottinghamshire SMR: PRN 01366b,
RCHME, NMR Long Report: SK 73 NW 21,
RCHME, NMR Long Report: SK 73 NW 6,

Source: Historic England