Details

The monument is the Belmont moated site and fishpond. The site includes a
five-sided island measuring up to 90m x 60m and surrounded by a rectangular
waterlogged moat of widths varying between 4.5m - 30m x 1.5m deep. The moat
sides are near vertical and c.1m deep to the water level. Access to the
island is by a causeway on the western side. An outer bank flanks the north
and much of the western arms of the moat. It measures 7m wide x 1m high
adjacent to the north arm, and 4m high x 0.3m wide adjacent to the western
arm. In Moat Covert, immediately north of the northern outer bank, is a
rectangular waterlogged fishpond measuring some 90m x 30m x 1m deep.
The site was granted to Norton Priory by Geoffrey Dutton during the reign of
Henry I. It was part of a medieval monastic grange. Field names Abbey Field
and Abbots Meadow are associated with the site.
All field boundaries and a length of netting and posts flanking the moat's
southern arm are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath these
features 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.

Despite the monument's overgrown appearance the monument survives well, the
earthworks in particular remaining well preserved. It is a rare and
unusual example in Cheshire of a five-sided moated island. This, coupled
with its use as a medieval grange, exemplifies the diversity in form and
function of this class of monument. Additionally, organic material will be
preserved in the waterlogged moat.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Information from Moated Sites Research Group cards
Dodgson, J, EPNS - The Place Names of Cheshire, (1970)
Ormerod, G, 'History of Cheshire' in History of Cheshire, , Vol. 3, (1882)
Other
Darvill, T., MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Moats, (1988)
Dennison, E., MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Fishponds, (1988)
Leigh, R (Site owner), To Robinson, K.D. MPPFW, (1991)
SMR No. 668/1/1, Cheshire SMR, Belmont Moat, (1990)
Title: Ordnance Survey Record Card
Source Date: 1964
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England