Details

The monument includes a medieval moated site at Yen Hall Farm which lies
approximately 800m north of the village of West Wickham.

The moated site includes a sub-oval shaped island measuring approximately 60m
north to south and at least 50m east to west which is raised by at least 1m
above the surrounding ground surface. The island is the site of a medieval
manor house recorded in 1315. The remains of the manor house and its
ancillary buildings are believed to survive as buried features. The island is
enclosed by a semi-waterfilled moat which is spring-fed and measures on
average 8m wide and up to 2m deep. Part of the moat on the western side of the
moated site has been infilled but survives as a buried feature. The dam across
the south east side of the moat is a modern addition.

Eanheale was first recorded in 974 as an estate granted by King Eadfar to his
thegn, Elfhelm Polga; at the time of Domesday it was held by Lambert de Rosey
under the lordship of William de Warenne. By 1209 the Lordship of `Enhale' had
passed to the Bardolfs and was held by the de Rosey family until about 1279.
Thereafter it passed through a number of owners, suffering a decline during
the 13th and 14th centuries. By the 18th century it comprised only a single
farmhouse complex. The present Yen Hall, a Listed Building Grade II, stands
outside the area of the scheduling and is believed to represent a 17th century
successor to the medieval manor house which formerly occupied the island.

The pheasant run and pheasant feeders and all fencing are excluded from the
scheduling, although 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.

The moated site at Yen Hall Farm survives well. Despite some infilling of the
west side of the moat, the island remains largely undisturbed and will retain
buried evidence for the medieval manor house and other features relating to
its construction and occupation. The buried silts in the base of the moat
will contain both artefacts relating to the period of occupation and
environmental evidence for the appearance of the landscape in which the moated
site is set.
In addition, the moated site is particularly well documented and this
historical information will enhance our understanding of the archaeological
remains.

Comparisons between this site and further examples, both locally and more
widely, will provide valuable insights into the developments in the nature of
settlement and society in the medieval period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire117-118
Salzman, L F, The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, (1948), 43
Charge, B B, 'Journal of the Haverhill and District Archaeological Group' in Field Survey of sites at Yen Hall, West Wickham, Cambs., , Vol. 6, Pt.1, (1995), 50,52
Other
Title: Enclosure map of West Wickham
Source Date: 1812
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
CRO: Q/RDc 39

Source: Historic England