Medieval moat at Fithlers Farm, Highwood Road (EHER 728)

The remains of a homestead moat at Fithlers Farm is evident as two waterfilled arms averaging 10m wide. This moat is thought to date from the medieval period.

Homestead Moat at Fithler's Farm. <1> <2> Complete, rectangular. <3> <4> Probably to be associated with the family of Nicholas 'le Fithelir'. Also mentioned in 1356 as 'Vithleris', 1515 as 'Fythlers', 1548-9 as 'Fetlers, Fidelers'. <5> See also <6> <7> for cropmark evidence. NRHE data transfer: (TL 63700416) Moat (NR) (1) November 1975. Field survey. Fithlers, name verified, is entirely 19th/20th century in external appearance. On the north side of the house is the two-sided remains of a homestead moat, waterfilled and averaging around 10m wide. A segment of the East arm has recently been filled in, and there is no trace of a fourth, North, arm apart from a vague depression in plough in area TL 6367 0419. A heavy scatter of tile and brick fragments, also in this area, is of indeterminable age. The Tithe map of 1843 shows the moat as complete and rectangular with internal buildings. The present 'Fithlers' is not shown. Published survey (25") revised. <8> August 1988. Field survey. The ploughed down remains of the NW angle, and West half of the former North arm of the moat are now both clearly visible on cultivated ground, the latter of which is visible as a linear depression averaging 8m wide and 1m deep. The West part of the island is presently under cultivation. MSD depiction (1:2500) revised. <9> 2005. Archaeological monitoring. Monitoring of groundworks at the moated site recorded a medieval midden and ditch, and a post-medieval drain, beneath the barn. <10>