Details

The monument includes the medieval moated site at Woodhall Hall thought to be
the site of a manor house. The moat was part of a larger manorial complex, now
no longer evident. Woodhall was formerly part of Buckland where in 1086 land
was held by the King and the Bishop of Bayeux.

The moat encloses a rectangular island measuring approximately 40m by 25m. The
moat measures up to 10m in width and 1m deep. A part infilling on the western
arm, near the north western corner, may indicate an original point of access
to the island, while a causeway crossing the northern moat arm is thought to
represent a modern access. The centre of the island is raised indicating the
prescence of buried building remains such as the manor house and its
outbuildings which will survive here. A second moat formerly survived 30m to
the south east of Woodhall. The site is no longer visible and therefore not
included in the scheduling.

All fence posts are exluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
them is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches,
often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more
islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some
cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites
served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the
provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical
military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was
between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in
central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built
throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and
exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a
significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding
of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples
provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.

The medieval moated site at Woodhall Hall survives well as a series of
earthworks and buried deposits. The artificially raised ground will preserve
evidence of land use prior to the construction of the moat. As one of a pair
of moated sites it contributes to an understanding of the inter-relationship
of contemporary components of the medieval landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Foster, C W, Longley, T, The Lincolnshire Domesday and the Lincolnshire Survey, (1976)
Other
NMR, 352769, (1999)

Source: Historic England