Medieval moat at Hazeleigh Hall (EHER 7848)

The remains of an incomplete moat at Hazeleigh Hall (EHER 7849). Only the north arm and part of the east arm survive, but both are waterfilled and integrated as a landscape feature into the present garden layout around the hall.

An incomplete moat lies at Hazeleigh Hall, Hazeleigh. <1> <2> Double moat, incomplete, rectangular. Sketch plan on back of MSRG card, presumably based on OS map. <3> <4> July 1987. Field survey. The remains of a moat lie immediately NNW of Hazeleigh Hall (EHER 7849) at 20m above OD, atop a small low spur extending out into the Dengie peninsula from the east end of the Danbury Ridge. Only the north arm and part of the east arm survive, but both are waterfilled and integrated as a landscape feature into the present garden layout around the hall. The area of the former island within the moat is currently put down to lawn, although within this a number of tree holes are visible, particularly covering the west half, which probably relate to the tree cover shown as existing here on the OS 1:2500 1972; other vague north-south linear features may indicate that the area has also been used as orchard at some time past. In the east half of the island the low outline of a rectangular building platform possibly marks a wing of the house which presumably stood on this site, or a later agricultural building. A scarp surviving up to 0.8m high parallels the outside of the two remaining moat arms at a distance of about 10m and marks the limit of an outer bank. On the east, this bank is sharply defined and is no doubt recently recut, but it is more spread on the north where it runs through woodland. An exterior bank would have been required on these two sides to retain water in the moat since the level of the ground surface here is below that of the moat interior; but the bank's width may suggest that it was also intended to double as the basis of some form of ornamental feature. No sign of an original south arm to the moat survives. There is a tradition (related by the present owner of Hazeleigh Hall) that a member of the Alleyn family for whom the Hall was built in the 16th century, at some time filled in a 'ditch' between the church (EHER 7852) and the house (EHER 7849), which presumably accounts for the missing west arm; a field drain and short length of scarp may preserve something of its course. This and the curving in of the outer bank in the NW corner of the site suggests that the north arm at 70m long survives to its full original extent. It is less clear however whether the scarps at the south end of the east arm indicate its original terminal or are purely the result of infilling. Surveyed at 1:2500. Transferred to MSD. <5> Note: a parish record in the EHER suggests this may have taken place in 1608, see EHER 7852. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import.