Medieval moat at Bolding Hatch (EHER 917)

Stirrup-shaped moat partly surrounds the modern farmbuildings at Bolding Hatch.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. Stirrup-shaped moat. <1> Homestead moat. <2> Incomplete, irregular. <3> <4> Name mentioned 1297, 1313, 1573, "an early example of the use of the term `bolling', `pollard tree'". <5> Field survey, 1975 A large 'U' shaped waterfilled moat partly surrounds the modern farm buildings at Bolding Hatch. The present farmhouse, situated outside the enclosure, is modern but the original house site is probably marked by raised ground to the north of the enclosed area at TL 62381092. The average width of the water is about 9.0m. No trace of a south arm survives. Published survey 25" correct. <6> June 2020. Trial trenching. A large feature in Trench 3, likely represents the west end of the south side of the moat that that is shown on historic mapping up until at least 1920, prior to being infilled. It is possible that this is of medieval origin, but only post-medieval fill deposits have been encountered by the evaluation. Medieval moated enclosures are frequently found to have been cleared, enlarged/modified and eventually partially or wholly backfilled in the late postmedieval and modern period – often as part of garden landscaping. <7> Moat (NR) <8