Summary

A preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers with associated fishponds, medieval village of Hogwash and the site of the medieval church of St John the Baptist.

Source: Historic England

Details

The moated enclosure of the preceptory measures 52m by 40m internally, with a moat 11m wide and 1.4m deep. The western arm of the moat is a ditch or drain which now forms the boundary with the field to the west. A leat runs south from the centre of the south arm of the moat, connecting it to two fishponds to the south. The fishponds are situated about 75m south of the moated site and lie side by side, divided by a bank about 5m wide: aligned west to east, together they measure about 50m by 25m.

To the south of the ponds aerial photographs reveal a rectangular block of ditched enclosures, subdivided into four. These are clearly associated with and are thought to represent a continuation of the site of the village, the known remains of which lie immediately to the east of the moated site beside the Claydon road. About 20m to the east of the moat, parallel to and the same length and width as its eastern arm, is a shallow linear feature: at right angles to this are traces of four other similar ditches, running as pairs, 60m to 80m apart, to join a hollow way to the east, apparently an earlier route of the Claydon road, subsequently straightened to its present form. These features are also associated with the site of the village.

The former church of St John the Baptist lies partly beneath or in the vicinity of the Ox House, which itself is about 60m to the south-east of the moated site and just to the north-east of the ponds.

Extent of Scheduling

The scheduling aims to protect the visible and buried remains of the moated site, its associated earthworks and ponds, the church and the deserted medieval village of Hogshaw and associated enclosures. The scheduling boundary is drawn to form a shape which appears as two adjacent, roughly rectangular areas joined together, the smaller attached to the larger at its south-east corner. The larger, to the north, measures 245m north to south and 180m west to east. The second area continues south as a narrower strip beside the Claydon Road and measures 65m wide from west to east, 160m north to south. The north, east and southernmost boundaries are defined by and lie inside existing field boundaries; that to the west follows the outer edge of the drain. The southern boundary of the larger rectangle crosses the open field from west to east before making a right angled turn to the south to form the west boundary of the second rectangle. The total scheduled area of archaeological importance therefore has a maximum width of 190m and a maximum length of 412m.

All upstanding buildings and other structures, fences and posts that lie within the scheduled area are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground around and beneath them is included.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers and medieval settlement of Hogshaw are scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Rarity: preceptories are rare nationally, with those of the Knights Hospitallers numbering orginally 76 in total, not all of which survive;
* Intactness: the full extent of the moated site the settlement and fishponds is preserved and there is no record of any damaging interventions.
* Group value: the preceptory forms a good group with the fishponds, medieval settlement and site of the Church of St John the Baptist;.
* Documentary evidence: there is good documentary evidence for the preceptory and the subsequent history of the settlement.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W , The Victoria History of the County of BuckinghamshireVol 4 p54, vol 2 p59
Roberts, B K, Wrathmell, S, An Atlas of Rural Settlement in England, (2003), 42-43
Websites
Hogshaw, accessed from https://ubp.buckscc.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=TBC729
Other
Aerial photographs. Cambridge University Unit for Landscape Mmodelling LO58, 59; NP95,
Watching Brief and Salvage Recording, Claydon Road, Hogshaw. Archaeological Services Consultancy. David Fell, 2003.,

Source: Historic England