Medieval homestead moat at Calthorps Farm, Great Sampford (EHER 1532)

The house stands on a south-west to north-east ridge, and to its north-west are the remains of a narrow homestead moat, which had partially been filled in, when investigated in 1977.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Moat. <1> Only two sides of the moat remain at Calthorp's Farm, Great Sampford. <2> Building is of about 1400, moat incomplete, rectangular. No enclosure banks. Moat is 4m wide on the north-west, 6m on the north-east, 2m deep, wet. One fish pond. Gardener confessed to filling a deep ditch. A very considerable ditch, 4m wide x 2m, considered by Stokes to have completed the enclosure. Site Assessment = A deep ditch was filled by gardener. <3> Sketch plan on back of MSRG card shows filled ditch and Stokes' ditch. <4> Photo in SMR. <5> As 'Calthorpes', appears on Chapman and Andre map, 1777. <6> <7> Moat consists of the north arm, 66m long and the north-east and south-east arms, both 38m long. All but the south-west ditch waterfilled, averages 4.5m wide. <8> in <1> Area = 0.5 December 1977. Field survey. The house stands on a south-west to north-east ridge and to its north-west are the remains of a narrow homestead moat. These comprise the entire north west arm 66.0m long, and adjacent lengths of the north-east and south-east arms both 38.0m long, all with an average width of 4.5m. Only the south-west ditch is dry and a depression which continued its line has been recently filled in and is now lawn. There are no traces of the rest of the north-east arm or of a south-east one, and the farm pond to the south has been ornamentalised. Within the enclosure adjacent to the north-west arm is a small round pond. The Tithe Map shows the same features. Published 25" survey revised. <9>