Monument record MDO531 - Homestead Moat, Broadwindsor

A probable medieval moat and associated enclosures to the northeast of Whetham Mill Cross is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in the 1940s and on a Lidar survey of 2010. The site was mapped during the Marshwood Vale NMP.

Annotated map on old SMR card with note by L J Keen 'a' [north west part] pasture in 1946, 'b' [south east part] in arable in 1946. Both arable in 1973. Enough appears to survive to consider scheduling.

The Historic England Monument report (NMR St 40 SW 7; Hob UID 193077) documents 'the moat as standing on ground slightly sloping to the north. A square enclosure formed by a ditch and outer bank. The ditch averages 8.5m wide and 0.8m deep on the SW and NE sides but on the NW side the ditch is much stronger and on the SE it is weaker where it has been under the plough. The outer bank averages 2.0m wide, 0.3m high. The ditch is grass and bush covered and the enclosure which is much disturbed is also grass covered. The earthwork is probably the remains of a medieval moat, now dry. No trace of a building was observed in the interior and no original entrance is visible.'

The site was mapped during the Marshwood Vale NMP on the basis of earthworks visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s (2) and a Lidar survey of 2010 (3). These revealed a sub-square enclosure around 50m by 50m, with an inner ditch and outer bank. The northern section of bank appears the best preserved, with lesser scarps surviving to the south and no bank visible at all at the northeast corner. The enclosure has a break in its northeast and southwest sides where it is cut by a post medieval field boundary shown on the OS 1st Edition historic mapping (4). The moat is also shown as an earthwork on this map.

In addition, an aerial photograph of 1947 (2) revealed a northeast to southwest aligned bank or scarp to the northwest of the moat, which extends to the corner of a still extant field boundary shown on the OS 1st Edition historic mapping (4) and continuing its line southwest. The Lidar survey of 2010 (3) revealed a further scarp running at right angles to the former, indicating a probable enclosure to the northwest of the moat. Further banked boundaries to the west of the moat also indicate probable enclosures associated with it. The banks are relatively broad at just over 6m. Two longer and substantial banked boundaries of similar width to the west of the moat may also be associated with it, potentially part of the wider pattern of medieval enclosure here. In particular, the northernmost of these two boundaries curves to the northwest to join an irregular enclosure, still extant, that contains a probable post medieval drainage system (MDO38647). This enclosure and the moat appear joined by this long boundary, visually appearing to form one potential unit.

No entrance to the moat has been positively identified but a possible candidate is the break in the southwest side of the moat. The Lidar survey of 2010 (3) shows a possible bank along the northern edge of the field boundary now cutting the moat and the line of this boundary (and possible bank) continues as a trackway on the south side of Park Water Lane. The post medieval field boundary may therefore follow the line of the former approach to the moat.

This site is still visible on the latest Google Earth imagery (5).

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 41240279) Earthwork (NAT)

<3> Royal Air Force, 11 APR 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2410-11 (Aerial Photograph). SDO14770.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 53 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(3) HOMESTEAD MOAT, E. of Whetham Mill Cross and over 1 m. W. of the parish church.’

<5> Historic England, Historic England Archive, RCH01/088 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F67/2 (Index). SDO14738.

PROBABLE MEDIEVAL MOAT AT BROADWINDSOR WEST ANGLE TAKEN FROM THE WEST.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F67/1 (Index). SDO14738.

PROBABLE MEDIEVAL MOAT AT BROADWINDSOR,WEST ANGLE TAKEN FROM THE WEST

<8> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 04-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<9> Google Earth, 2006, Google Earth vertical photograph (Aerial Photograph). SDO14562.

<10> Environment Agency, 2010, Lidar DTM, ST4102dtm.1m.acs (Aerial Photograph). SDO13148.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 193077 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 29 2022 1:38PM