Details

The monument is situated within Rockingham Park, approximately 1km south west
of Rockingham Castle, and includes a moated site.
The moated site is situated within a former medieval deer park. There are
mid-13th century references to the existence of a park at Rockingham which was
located to the north east of the moated site. In 1485 the park was enlarged by
Henry VII. The moated site is thought to have been constructed prior to the
enlargement of the deer park in the 15th century, at which date it was
incorporated within the park and subsequently used as a hunting lodge.
The moated site has external dimensions of approximately 53m north east-south
west and 63m north west-south east. The moat arms average 8m wide and are 1m
deep. They are now mostly dry, although the western corner of the moat is
seasonally waterfilled. External banks are visible beyond the north western
and north eastern arms of the moat and there are slight traces of a bank
parallel with the south western arm. Access onto the moated island is via a
causeway across the south western moat arm. A map of the site, dated 1615,
indicates that the moated island was occupied by a building at this time. It
is thought to have been a hunting lodge which provided accommodation for
hunting parties within the deer park; James I for example is known to have
stayed at the site in the early 17th century. A building is shown as still
present on an estate map of 1806, at which date the moated site was approached
through an avenue of trees. The building was demolished by Lewis, the third
Baron Sondes, in c.1827; although not visible on the ground surface, remains
will survive as a buried feature.

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 moated site located to the south west of Rockingham Castle survives well.
Its relationship with the enlargement of the deer park in 1485 is well
documented and it forms an integral part of the medieval landscape of the
Rockingham estate. The moated island will preserve information relating to
both the construction of the building which existed there and its subsequent
conversion for use as a hunting lodge. The site also provides evidence
illustrating the social context of hunting during the late medieval period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, , The County of Northamptonshire, (1975), 129
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England, , The County of Northamptonshire, (1975), 25-6
Brown, A E, Taylor, C C, 'Northamptonshire Archaeology' in The Earthworks of Rockingham and its Neighbourhood, , Vol. 9, (1974), 72-77

Source: Historic England