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.
Following St Augustine's re-establishment of Christianity in England in AD
597, monasticism formed an important facet of both religious and secular
medieval life. Although usually living in communities, some men and women
chose to live solitary lives of contemplation and simplified religious
observance, akin to those of the Christian fathers and early British saints.
Known as hermits, they lived in secluded sites such as isolated islands and
caves in river banks, marshy areas or forests.
The hermits lived off alms or under the patronage of the nobility who
commissioned them to pray for the souls and well-being of their families.
Hermitages were generally simple, comprising a dwelling area, an oratory or
room set aside for private prayer, and perhaps a small chapel. They fell out
of favour with the Dissolution of religious establishments in the middle of
the 16th century. Around 500 hermitages are known from documents but the
locations of very few have been identified with certainty, and they are
therefore rare nationally. All examples which exhibit surviving archaeological
remains are therefore considered worthy of scheduling.
The medieval moated hermitage at Chapel Hill survives well as a series of
earthworks and buried deposits. The buried building remains will preserve
evidence of the nature and layout of the religious and domestic buildings. In
addition, the artificially raised ground and the banks around the moat will
preserve evidence of the land use prior to the construction of the moat. As a
result of historical research and archaeological survey the site is quite well
understood.
Details
The monument includes a medieval moated site located at Chapel Hill, believed
to be the site of a 14th century hermitage. In 1336 Edward III gave protection
for one year for Roger de Staunford and Richard de Burle, hermits of the
chapel of St Thomas at Tealby, and their attorneys to collect alms. The chapel
is referred to in a document of 1638, but by the end of the following century
no buildings remained standing.
The monument includes a platform, or island, enclosed by a moat with external
banks and water control features. The island is rectangular in plan, measuring
approximately 45m by 40m, and is slightly raised above the surrounding ground
level. On the northern part of the island there is a roughly square raised
platform measuring approximately 20m in width which is believed to be the
location of former buildings including a chapel and domestic accommodation. A
further building platform is located at the south western corner of the
island.
The moat, now dry, measures 6m to 8m in width and up to 1.5m in depth with a
slight internal bank on the eastern arm, a broad external bank measuring
approximately 8m across on the western arm, and a slight external bank at the
north east corner of the moat. A shallow channel enters the moat at the north
western corner with an outlet channel provided at the south western corner.
All fences are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them
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.
