Medieval moat and fishponds at Great Lodge (EHER 1200)

A medieval moated site with the causeway across south arm of moat.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: January 1950. Field survey. Moated site, causeway across south arm of moat. Average width of moat is 20m. Quite dry, turf-covered. Inner side of northern arm is traceable, outer bank is despoiled and indefinite. Believed locally to be site of a monastery but OS found no written evidence for this. Large pond to the north is large, with steep sides, believed by OS to be a fish pond. <1> <2> April 1975. Field survey. The house was originally surrounded by a moat measuring overall about 120.0m by about 100.0m (shown on published OS 25") but the north half has been levelled and the external shapes on the south side have been greatly reduced. An original causewayed entrance crosses the south arm, which is dry, being 16.0m wide and 1.5m deep. At TL 69402913 and TL 69482910 are two water filled ponds, possibly fishponds to the house. Re-surveyed a 1:2500. <3> <4> 1977. Field visit. Width of moat 14-18m, depth 1-1.5m. Some areas of water are probably fish ponds. Complete, rectangular. Raised site with moat on S and W 18m x 1m deep. Dry, probably extended on north side. On the east side no signs of outer bank. Stokes thought fish pond to the north to be the remains of a moat lining up with the east side of the moat already described. It is 1-1.5m deep (to water) and the narrow arm is 14m wide. Other pond is either a fish pond or a later lake, 15m wide and 0.5m deep to the water level. <5> Tracing from sketch by Stokes from site visit and OS 25" on back typed MSRG card and on back of SMR sheet. Photos of moat and of fish pond in SMR. <6> NMP analysis: Aerial photographs show little change in appearance of moat over past 50 years: two arms of water-filled ditch survive (part of western and part of southern circuit). <7> - <11> Tracing from OS plan card is in the SMR. <12> Area = 0.45