Topics > Historical Periods > Middle Ages (1154 to 1485 AD) > Moated Sites

Moated Sites


There are around 6,000 known Medieval moated sites in England. The greatest concentration are in Central and Eastern parts of the country, but there are relatively few in the North of England.[1]

The peak period during which moated sites were built was between 1250 and 1350 AD. 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. Most of these sites served as prestigious aristocratic residences with the moat being a status symbol, rather than a military defence. Today, they are significant archaeological sites, which inform our understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the Medieval feudal society.

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Middle Ages (1154 to 1485 AD) Fenham Monastic Grange (ruins) Summerhouse moated site Archdeacon Newton Medieval Settlement Claxton medieval moated site Medieval moated site, Kirkoswald Moated site of Loweswater Pele Down Hall moated site, Aikton Moated site near Cockbridge Embleton Moat Low Dinsdale Manor House Wardley Medieval Moated Site
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Wardley Medieval Moated Site
- % There are earthwork remains at Wardley, Gateshead, of a medieval moated site and associated ridge and furrow cultivation. This is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, though little of the remains …
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Summerhouse moated site
- % In medieval times there was a defended manor house in Summerhouse. It had a moat, drawing water from Sumerhouse Beck, which was located to the south of the village …
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Low Dinsdale Manor House
- % Note: Map data from Historic England c/o Open Data UK, under the Open Government Licence, imported into Google MyMaps, March 2026. The medieval manorial site at Low Dinsdale was …
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Archdeacon Newton Medieval Settlement
- % Note: Scheduled Monument area - map data from Historic England c/o Open Data UK, under the Open Government Licence, imported into Google MyMaps, March 2026. Archdeacon Newton is the …
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Claxton medieval moated site
- % Note: Scheduled Monument area - map data from Historic England c/o Open Data UK, under the Open Government Licence, imported into Google MyMaps, March 2026. The Claxton medieval moated …
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Medieval moated site, Kirkoswald
- % Scheduled Monument area - map data from Historic England c/o Open Data UK, under the Open Government Licence, imported into Google MyMaps, March 2026. This Medieval moated site is …
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Moated site of Loweswater Pele
- % Scheduled Monument (#1013503): Moated site of Loweswater Pele Click the headings below to expand (selected extracts from the Historic England scheduling) Significance The moated site of Loweswater Peel is …
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Down Hall moated site, Aikton
- % Note: Map data from Historic England c/o Open Data UK, under the Open Government Licence, imported into Google MyMaps, March 2026. There is a Medieval moated site, located at …
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Moated site near Cockbridge
- % Scheduled Monument area - map data from Historic England c/o Open Data UK, under the Open Government Licence, imported into Google MyMaps, March 2026. Scheduled Monument (# 1007133 ): …
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Embleton Moat
- The archaeological remains of a Medieval moat are located about ½ mile south-west of St Cuthbert's Church in Embleton, Cumbria, and about 2 miles south-east of Cockermouth. Now largely filled …
Fenham Monastic Grange (ruins)
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Fenham Monastic Grange (ruins)
- Overview Map Aerial View % There are ruins of a monastic grange at Fenham in Northumberland - a farm complex owned by the Benedictine priory of Lindisfarne, on nearby Holy …

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