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Description

Reasons for Designation 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 Bassingthorpe Manor survives well as a series of earthworks and buried deposits. Waterlogging in the moat will preserve organic remains (such as timber, leather, and seeds) which will give an insight into domestic and economic activity on the site. In addition the banks around the moat will preserve evidence of the land use prior to their construction. Details The monument includes the medieval moated site at Bassingthorpe Manor. In 1086 the land at Bassingthorpe was held by Ivo Taillebois. In 1545 the manor was inherited by Thomas Coney from his father, and inventories of the period indicate that a substantial house existed at the site. The manor house is believed to have been moved from the moated island to its present postion, north of the moat, during the 16th century. The remains of the moated site now take the form of a series of earthworks and buried deposits. The roughly rectangular moated island and external banks cover an area measuring 130m by 110m. The wide moat, measuring up to 14m across and 2m deep, encloses the island on west, south, and east sides and is part water-filled. External banks, 5m to 12m in width, and in places up to 1m in height, line the three moat arms. Internal banks line part of the moat and measure up to 6m across and up to 0.75m high. The northern moat arm, partly infilled, is visible as a hollow and survives as a buried feature lined by low banks on both sides. On the southern moat arm there is a causeway and a gap in the external bank which is thought to represent a recent access point to the island. Remains on the eastern half of the island represent the buried remains of buildings associated with the earlier medieval manor house. In the area of the present gardens and the buildings at the north west corner of the monument, where landscaping and terracing has taken place, the line of the moat is no longer visible and is not included in the scheduling. All fences, walls, and standing buildings are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included. Sources Books and journals Foster, C W, Longley, T, The Lincolnshire Domesday and the Lincolnshire Survey, (1976) Other NMR, 325397, (1998) Title: Ordnance Survey 25" Map sheet 131.2 Source Date: 1904 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

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