Scheduled Monument: Bostock Hall Moated Site. (1012357)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bostock Hall moated site. PARISH: WINSFORD DISTRICT: VALE ROYAL COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 13495 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ67786733 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument is the medieval moated site of Bostock Hall. The site lies in woodland and includes a raised rectangular island measuring c.40m x 37m. Surrounding the island is a waterlogged moat 9.3m wide x 1.8m deep that has a dry outlet channel 6m wide x 1.5m deep issuing from its southwestern corner. Access to the island is by a low causeway c.5m wide on the eastern arm close to the northeastern corner. Bostock Hall was a medieval timber building demolished in 1803 and superseded by a nearby farmhouse. All field boundaries are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath them is included. 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. Despite the monument's woodland location the site survives well. Its earthworks are well preserved and the site remains a good example of a small medieval moated site. Evidence of the medieval Bostock Hall will be preserved on the island and organic material will be preserved in the waterlogged moat. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 24th September 1992