Monument record MDR2704 - Atlow Moat, Atlowmoat Farm, Atlow
Type and Period (3)
- MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- CAUSEWAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- MANOR HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
"Near Atlow Moat Farm in Atlow, close to Henmore brook, are the four sides of an old moat enclosing a space of about 200 ft square, where formerly stood a homestead of the Okeover family". (1) The present farmhouse, which is early 19th century, incorporates a little fabric some 200 years older, believed from the moated house. The moat is low-lying, primarily for drainage, and partly infilled. A slight hollow to the south-west indicates a former fish pond. Published survey 1/2500 revised. (2)
The 'square moat' at Atlowmoat Farm adjoins Henmore Brook which formerly provided water for the moat and also for a fishpond in the south west. During the summer of 1976 the cropmark of a structure was noted on the central platform. A raised causeway from the north leads down the hill slope to the moat, where a large imported stone probably acted as a support for a bridge across to the platform. (3)
Once the seat of the Atlows, whose daughter and heiress married Sir Roger de Okeover of Okeover in 1341, and it has remained in that family ever since. The house had probably fallen into disuse by the mid to late 1500s and was certainly gone by 1664. (4)
The site was scheduled in 1995. The scheduled area includes the moated site, two banked enclosures and a raised track or causeway which leads to the moat from the north west and separates the enclosures. The moated site comprises a roughly square platform measuring 36m by 38m surrounded by a 10m wide moat with a 1m high outer bank. A channel leads from the southern corner of the moat to the brook and would have acted as a drain for water soaking into the moat from the slope to the north west. It is unlikely that the moat was ever entirely waterfilled. On the north west side of the moat, a semi-circular indentation in the edge of the platform indicates the site of a bridge, while in the middle of the moat there is a dressed gritstone block interpreted as part of a bridge support. The causeway is c. 4m wide and extends northwards for c. 80m. The enclosures, which are each c. 80m square, are too overgrown for any features to be discerned, but they would have been the sites of ancillary buildings associated with the moated homestead. (5)
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SDR19691 Bibliographic reference: Cox, J. 1905. 'Ancient Earthworks', in The Victoria County History of Derbyshire, Volume 1. pp 357-396. p 388.
- <2> SDR6341 Personal Observation: F1 FRP 05-AUG-66.
- <3> SDR10777 Bibliographic reference: Hart, C (NDAT). 1981. The North Derbyshire Archaeological Survey to AD 1500. pp 148-50, Fig. 10:14.
- <4> SDR18913 Bibliographic reference: Craven, M & Stanley, M. 1984. The Derbyshire Country House, Vol II. p 84.
- <5> SDR18152 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1995. Scheduling Notification. 23297. Cat. No.: 366.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2268 4851 (182m by 182m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ATLOW, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR805
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jun 25 2015 3:06PM