Monument record 2385/1/1 - Stoke Doyle medieval moat

Earthwork: Non-destructive fieldwork. Earthwork remains of a moat with internal depression, probably the site of a building, now a seasonal pond.

{1} A ditch, now dry, up to 15m wide and 2m deep, surrounds an irregular rectangular area. Water was brought into the ditch from the adjacent stream by an inlet channel in the north west corner and ponded up by a low outer bank which survivies along the east side and south east corner of the moat.

{2} Suggests the depression is a small fish pond.

{3} A sub-rectangular moat 125x100m. Ditch is 12-15m wide and up to 2m deep, originally linked to the stream by a water channel at the north-west corner. A substantial rectangular depression, 35m x 5m, indicates the location of a former building. There is an outer bank, 0.5m high, to the east and south-east.

{5} DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT
The moated site at Stoke Doyle lies to the east of the present village and north of a small brook. The moat is almost rectangular in shape and measures approximately 125m x 100m. The moat island is also sub-rectangular and is completely surrounded by a ditch between 12m and 15m in width and up to 2m deep. The ditches have steep sides and a flat bottom, and although now dry, were originally linked to the stream by a water channel in the north west corner of the moat. On the moat island a substantial north-south rectangular depression measuring about 35m x 5m indicates the location of a former building. Around the east and south east edge of the moat ditches lies an outer bank 0.5m high which assisted water retention in the moat. There is no indication of a causeway crossing the moated ditches to the island and access must have been gained by a superficial bridge. Earthwork remains of the shifted medieval village lie to the north west of the moated site.

Stoke Doyle is a small, well preserved moat which illustrates the ideal location for such a site, close to a stream in the bottom of a valley. The site retains evidence of well defined water management features, including a channel and outer retaining banks. The undisturbed island will preserve archaeological evidence and provide information on the construction and development of the building within the moat.

{6} At TL 0285 8595 is a homestead moat containing within, a small pond now dry. No local knowledge was available regarding the feature.
Published survey (25" undated) revised.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.91/Site 10 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, TL08NW21 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<3> English Heritage, 1992, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, (part checked) (Report). SNN47128.

<4> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<5> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 1986, DOE Scheduled Ancient Monuments: Northamptonshire (Parts 5-8) (Schedule). SNN104787.

<6> Colquhoun, FD, 1962, Field Investigators Comments, F1 FDC 03-MAY-62 (Note). SNN111652.

<7> Historic England, HOMESTEAD MOAT, BB72/04264 (Archive). SNN114874.

Record last edited

Feb 4 2025 7:53PM