Moated site 100m north west of The Manor

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 moat 100m north west of The Manor survives well as a series of earthworks and buried deposits. The moat island's artificially raised ground will preserve evidence of land use prior to the construction of the moat. As one of a group of moated sites within a small area it contributes to an understanding of the inter-relationship of contemporary components of the medieval landscape.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a medieval moated site, 100m north west of The Manor. In 1086 the land at Brinkhill was held by Earl Hugh as part of the land of Greetham. Thought to be the site of a manor house, it is one of three moated sites lying within a 400m radius in the village of Brinkhill, each of which is the subject of separate schedulings.

The moated site includes an island enclosed by a moat, now dry, with an external bank on the north and west sides. The island is roughly rectangular in plan measuring 50m by 35m with a raised platform at the north eastern end of the island, believed to have been occupied by the manor house. The moat measures 10m to 12m in width with the external bank on the north western moat arm, measuring 8m in width and standing up to 0.7m high. A shallow channel interrupting the line of the external bank is thought to represent a water outlet.

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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

31630

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Foster, C W, Longley, T, The Lincolnshire Domesday and the Lincolnshire Survey, (1976)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry