Monument record MDR4705 - Moat, west of the site of Farnah Hall, Windley

[SK 3238 4363] MOAT. (1) A homestead moat that is overgrown and tree-covered. No evidence of a structure was noted [1966]. Surveyed at 1/2500. (2) The moated site, as part of the medieval Champeyne Park, passed to the Bradshaw family in c. 1390. It may have been at that time that the Bradshaws abandoned the moated homestead and moved to a new house on the site of the later Farnah Hall [see SMR 28004]. (3) A rectangular moated enclosure with an entrance on the south side is listed in the 1980-9 survey. (4, 5) Windley moated manorial complex comprises the medieval moated manorial site, including a central platform, surrounding ditch (moat) and outer bank, located approximately 200m west of the ruins of Farnah Hall. The moated site is roughly square in plan, measuring approximately 111m north-west to south-east and 104m north-east to south-west. The site includes a central platform (approximately 40m x 40m), surrounded by a ditch (approximately 15m wide) and an outer bank 25m wide on the north-west side, 18m wide on the north-east side and 12m wide on the south-east and south-west sides. The central platform is wooded, including saplings and nettles, and as a consequence a thick covering of leaf mould conceals any earthworks but, given that the site is completely unencumbered by development since its abandonment and the surrounding earthworks are so well defined, the potential for building remains to survive beneath the ground surface remains high. The ditch or moat survives around all four sides of the platform up to approximately 1.5m deep, and although silted in many places remains waterlogged, providing an environment ideally suited to the preservation of organic evidence such as leather and wooden artefacts or building materials. An earthen causeway spans the south end of the south-west arm of the moat, providing access to the central platform. A short section of outer bank along the south-west side has been reduced in height close to the southern corner. The moat is enclosed by a post-and-wire fence with posts set at intervals of approximately 3m along the inner edge of the outer bank. The distinctive shape of the square-plan moated site is clearly shown on the 1838-42 Ordnance Survey map, and that of 1880 which depicts tree coverage at that time. The banks and ditches of the moated site are clearly depicted on the 1880 map, with a causeway spanning the south end of the south-west arm of the moat. The historic site is clearly labelled as a ‘Moat’ on the 1900, 1914, and 1938 OS maps. No excavations have taken place to date (2016). The medieval moated manorial site at Windley, dating back to at least the 14th century, part of the Champion Estate documented as early as 1236, is scheduled for the following principal reasons: * Survival: the major elements of the moated manorial site survive well, with a clearly defined platform, moat and external bank and it is a good example of its type. * Potential: there is clear evidence for the survival of significant archaeological deposits, including the buried remains of the house or hall, waterlogged organic material and a buried medieval land surface, which together has the potential to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the manorial site and the wider social and economic landscape in which it functioned; * Documentation: the existence of comprehensive documentary evidence dating back to 1236 enhances the understanding and significance of the site; * Group value: it has strong group value with the remains of its successor, Farnah Hall, and the associated landscaped park and gardens, including a ha-ha, grotto, ponds and an ice house. See scheduling description for more details. (6)