16th century drainage ditches at Boytons Farm, Hempstead (EHER 1550)

The rectangular enclosure north-east of the house is thought to have been for garden drainage, and not a moat. The north-west arm consisted of the north-east end of a drainage ditch, with the north-east arm being an ornamental pond, and the south sides being very shallow ditches.

Single, rectangular moat without enclosure banks, flat enclosure. Two arms wet, one dry, one no longer extant. Rectangular area attached to the north east arm, enclosed by a ditch. <1> Remains of a rectangular possible moat. North-west arm is waterfilled. North-east arm is dry, south-east arm now a small stream, landscaped, south-west arm is non-existent, house built near it. Rectangular ditched enclosure (not moated) attached to the back, north-east side, now contains an orchard. <2> Ten photos in SMR, three show the house. <3> NRHE data transfer: North-west arm is water-filled and the north-east arm is dry, the south-east now small stream, and the south-west is non-existent. <4> January 1978. Field survey. There is no evidence of a moat around the house, except a water-filled drainage ditch 6.0m wide cut across a south east slope to the north-east. The rectangular enclosure, measuring overall 48.0m north-east to south-west by 42.0m transversely, is situated on flat ground north east of the house. The north-west arm consists of the north-east end of the drainage ditch, the north-east arm, an ornamental pond and the south-east and south-west very shallow ditches. It is very unlikely the feature was ever a moat being more probably garden drainage. No moat appears on the Tithe Map <5> but the ditch and pond are shown. <6>