Site of 12th century manor house, Gatemere, Howe Wood, Littlebury (EHER 3882)

Moated manor house, documented from the 12th century, demolished in the 18th century.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Moat in Howe Wood 1 1/2 miles west of the church. A pond to the north east. Medieval pottery found from 'south moat'. A rectangular moat with fish pond on the north-east lies in Howe Wood. The manor house (formerly called Gatemere), first mentioned in the 12th century during the reign of Henry II, occupied its centre but was demolished by 1768. <1> - <3> Homestead moat in Howe Wood with a fishpond on the north east angle. The east and south arms of the moat are water-filled, the north and west arms are boggy. Condition of moat and island is densely overgrown. Site Assessment = Moat and island densely overgrown. <4> <5> Incomplete, rectangular moat, 8-14m wide, 2-3.75m deep + 30ins silt. Flat enclosure but internal banks 0.5-1.5 x 6-8m. Moat dry but partly flooded. Fish ponds and channels. <6> Sketch plan on back MSRG card. <7> Area = 0.2 1977. Field survey. This homestead moat is situated in dense woodland on rolling countryside. It measures overall 97.0m east-west and 77.0m north-south. The arms have a maximum width of 14.0m and a maximum depth of 3.5m; the eastern arm appears to have been recut in modern times and is now waterfilled. The only trace of an inlet is from the fishpond, no outlet is visible but there is a causeway in the southern arm. The island stands slightly below the surrounding area and shows signs of disturbance although no building remains are visible. Unsurveyable spread soil mounds surrounding the moat are the result of cleaning. The fishpond stands to the north east and has a maximum depth of 2.8m and a maximum width of 26.0m. It is waterfilled with an inlet in the north west corner. Surveyed at 1:2500 on AM. <8> See also: <9>