16th to 17th century moat at Piggotts Farm, Elmdon (EHER 3881)

16th to 17th century moat.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: 1975. Field survey. Moat in good condition when visited in 1975. <1> <2> Complete homestead moat at Piggotts Farm, of early 16th century date, with 17th century additions. The north west corner has been filled in but otherwise it is in good condition. <3> <4> The name occurs as Picot, Pygot in 1285, Pygotes in 1488 and Pycotts alias Pygotts in 1604. <5> Complete, rectangular moat, 6-10m wide, 0.5-1m deep. Manorial status. Water supply from spring. Island entered via a causeway. Brick revetment on north near house. <6> Sketch plan on reverse of MSRG card. <7> Other ref: <8> The house dates from 1655 and is thought to be the original dwelling on the site. At the SE corner of the moat is a sub-rectangular, waterfilled fishpond, measuring 11m NW-SE by 10m max NE-SW. <9> Aerial photographs: <10> <11> 1977. Field survey Pigots Farm (Name board) has a date-stone 1665 but is not outstanding. The surrounding water-filled moat measures 60.0m east/ west and 42.0m north/south; the arms have a maximum width of 11.0m and a maximum depth of 1.7m. There is no trace of an original causeway but the north west corner has been infilled to form a modern one. No trace of an inlet or outlet is visible. The island stands level with the surrounding area. Surveyed on 1:2500. AM trace. <12> Pigots, Grade II*. Early 16th century moated manor house. <13> See also: <14>