Details

The moated site at Quarrington includes a well-preserved moat 55m by 35m with
an adjoining fishpond on the south-west side as well as the island defined by
the moat.
Moated sites are generally seen as the prestigious residences of the Lords of
the Manor. The moat marked the high status of the occupier, but also served
to deter casual raiders and wild animals. Most moats were constructed between
1250 and 1350, but the example at Quarrington enters the historical record in
1275, when it was held by Simon de Quarrington, and so is a little earlier.
The moat, which averages 8m in width, is a regular rectangle in shape and
holds water in all but the driest weather despite the fact that it is no
longer fed by the stream which formerly approached from the west. There is no
evidence of the crossing point of the moat, but access to the moat island was
presumably gained by a bridge. Similarly, the moat island shows no visible
evidence of the structures which once occupied the area, but animal
disturbance has brought to the surface pottery and tile fragments which
indicate that the area was undoubtedly built upon.
The small adjoining fishpond on the upstream south-west side would have
supplied fish for the table, another indicator of wealth and status. A sluice
will have separated the water in the pond from that in the moat to prevent
contamination of the fishpond by the rubbish and sewage dumped into the moat.
Water would formerly have escaped into the nearby stream but the channel no
longer survives.

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.

The moated site at Quarrington is of particular importance because it survives
in an undisturbed form and is therefore of high archaeological potential for
the recovery of evidence both of the organisation and development of the
buildings on the moat island and of the climate and economy of the manor in
the form of plant remains from the waterlogged moat. The historical
documentation of the site is also better than average, with not only records
of the founding family of the manor but also an indication of the development
of the landscape around the manor when it was provided with a deer park in
1291.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Cantor, L, A Gazeteer of Medieval Deerparks, (1983)
Hasted, E, History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, (1798)
Other
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Moats, (1988)

Source: Historic England