Scheduled Monument: Thorpe Lubenham moated site and remains of shifted medieval village (1009598)

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes the manorial moated site at Thorpe Lubenham and the remains of village earthworks which lie to the west of the moat. The monument is divided into two areas. The moat is the site of a manor house associated with the medieval village of Thorpe Lubenham. The moat is about 85m square and orientated NS-EW. The island is enclosed by a waterfilled ditch approximately 2m deep and 8m wide and there is an entrance causeway in the south east corner. A series of earthwork depressions and platforms mark the foundations of the manorial residence. Earthwork remains of part of the village of Thorpe Lubenham can be identified to the west of the moat, covering an area of about 2ha. They include a distinct hollow way running from north to south and house platforms and garden plots which can be traced on either side. The village of Thorpe Lubenham was first documented in the Domesday Book and there are tax records relating to the village throughout the 14th century. By 1547 the focus of the village had shifted northwards and records indicate that the land was used for sheep pasture. The manor house appears to have been occupied throughout much of the period until it was demolished in the 18th century. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE 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 was an important element within the village of Thorpe Lubenham. Although the village has continued in use to the modern day, with consequent disturbance of earlier remains, an area of earthworks of the original village survives west of the moat. These earthworks belong to part of an earlier settlement which was deserted as the village either shrank or shifted its focus further northwards. The moated site and village earthworks survive in good condition, indicating a direct association between a prestigious manorial site and part of a contemporary medieval rural settlement. These areas retain considerable potential for the survival of environmental and archaeological evidence relating to the occupation of the site.

Record last edited

Sep 6 2023 9:34AM