Monument record 245/1 - Moated Site, Fishpond and Connecting Channel, Minshull Vernon

<1> Capstick B, 1981-1987, Field Monument Warden Report, Capstick B, 1985, SAM 121 (Unpublished Report). SCH1222.

Complete moated site. Inner moat is trapezoidal, and water filled with platform c.29 by 27m. Ditch c.6m wide and up to 1.3m deep. Outer moat is polygonal and broader, up to 10m wide but now dry and only 0.5m deep. There is a counterscarp bank on the north side. No trace of buildings or causeways. Site now covered by ridge and furrow. Pond 20m across just outside south-west corner of the site.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ 66 SE 2 (Index). SCH2487.

1) [SJ 6892 6029] Moat [G.T.] OS 6” 1954 (see 9) [W.R.B 15/06/1961].

2) Two well preserved concentric moats. The interior has been rig-and-furrow ploughed. Resurveyed at 1/2500. Outer most drained; marshy bottom with no trace of causeway. Slight counterscarp. Shallow inner moat, c.o.5m deep, retains some water and reeds. No trace of causeway. Interiors turf-covered, with rig and furrow. No trace of buildings. [White J.H., F.I., 07/03/1962].

3) Survey of 07/03/1962 checked and found correct. [Waggot T.P., F.I., 07/05/1964].

<3> Wilson D. R., 1985, Moated Sites, p.11 (Book). SCH2202.

Aerial photograph. Example of a double moat.

<4> Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME), 1965-1999, Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Air Photo Unit, Flight No.2167/1123-4, 1984 (Aerial Photograph). SCH9702.

Aerial photographs.

<5> Williams SR, 1970s-1980s, Rhys Williams' Aerial Photographs, 3.0407, 09/01/1979 (Aerial Photograph). SCH4607.

Aerial photographs.

<6> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 13440 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

The moated site at Minshull Vernon survives in good condition and is a rare example of a double moated site in Cheshire. The unusual form exhibited by this site illustrates well the diversity of this class of monument.

The monument at Minshull Vernon comprises a double moated site of most unusual form, the island of which was formerly occupied by the manor house. The site consists of a grass-covered trapezoidal island measuring c.36m x 27m the surface of which shows traces of faint ridge and furrow, surrounded by a silted inner moat c.6m wide x 1.3m deep. These features lie off-centre within a polygonal dry outer moat c.14m wide, and the whole is surrounded by an outer bank. Dry inlet/outlet channels enter the outer moat at the south-east corner and close to the north-east corner, while at the south-west corner there is a dry inlet/ outlet channel connecting the outer moat with a D-shaped silted fishpond. Most moats were constructed between 1250-1350 and are generally seen as the prestigious residences of the Lords of the manor. The moat in such circumstances marked the high status of the owner, but also served to deter casual raiders and wild animals.

<7> Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME), 1994, Moated Site at Minshull Vernon (Report). SCH1075.

The moated site at Minshull Vernon may at first appear as a deceptively straight-forward double moat with associated ridge and furrow, indeed the site has previously been recorded simply as "two well-preserved concentric moats" (see 2). Earthworks identified during the survey however would seem to represent a more complex structure situated within a landscape that has been considerably altered over time.

It is likely that the site was initially constructed as a defended residence of local importance with associated field systems. For a water supply the moat probably took advantage of the natural drainage pattern westward but may also have been filled by a separate supply, for example from Larch Wood. Evidence of access to the moated residence is limited to the remains of a possible bridging point in the south-east corner although a feature which may represent a former hollow way passes to within 30m of the west of the site. Ridge and furrow to the east respect the edge of the moat making them contemporary with, or perhaps later than the moat itself. Further areas of ridge and furrow both the south and west may well have been part of the original settlement although later alterations in these areas have obscured any early relationship visible between the moat and surrounding field systems. There is no earthwork evidence to suggest that the inner and outer moats are not contemporary, indeed if the outer moat were earlier, it would represent a platform of unusually large dimensions for a typical Cheshire moat. Therefore, it would seem probable that the moats were dug together to create an elaborate residence with buildings on the inner platform and a garden or orchard close on the platformed area to the south. The pond feature to the north of the site may also have been included at this time, utilising the north bank of the outer moat as a retaining wall.

Alternatively, it is possible that the outer moat was indeed earlier than the rest of the site and was simply a large Cheshire moat. If this large platform was then cultivated for a time with the creation of the ridge and furrow now visible before the addition of the inner moat, then two important questions arise; where was the spoil from the new moat deposited so as not to obscure the existing ridge and furrow, and why did traces of ridge and furrow not survive down the eastern and western edges of the main platform. These significant issues tend to suggest that this is not a plausible scenario.

The outer moat may however have functioned alone for some time prior to a later phase of elaboration involving the addition of the second, inner ditch and an ornamental pond to the north. Perhaps this correlated with a change of ownership and a wealthier occupant, but there is no documentary evidence to suggest this. If the main platform was cultivated either as a garden during occupation or simultaneously with the inner platform in a post-abandonment phase, then traces of ridge and furrow would not be expected along the edges of the main platform. These proposed sequences for the development of the site are both equally valid and the earthwork evidence does not seem to suggest that one was more likely than the other.

By 1846 the moat was no longer occupied (see 11), and during this post-abandonment period various alterations to the site took place. Ridge and furrow on the inner platform where presumably buildings had been situated indicate that this area was used for cultivation, and field systems which once respected the moat began to encroach upon the edges of the outer ditch. At some stage the moat ditches themselves were re-cut leaving small scarps visible on the western, southern and eastern arms. If not connected with the original function of the moat, this re-cutting could be associated with the later use of the moat either for marl extraction or as a watering place for livestock. A beast pond appears to have been created to the south-west of the moat, where the ditch corner was excavated to form a channel leading into a small marshy area; a modification which probably took place late in the history of the site. Both westerly corners of the inner moat have a distinctly enlarged appearance, possibly caused by more recent activity such as marl extraction or cattle tread, which would also account for the truncation here of cultivation ridge and furrow.

<8> Cheshire Historic Environment Record, 1990-2001, Jill Collens and Rob Philpott's Aerial Photographs, LM 90.2010-1, 10/08/1990 (Aerial Photograph). SCH5403.

Aerial photographs.

<9> Ordnance Survey, 1948-1977, National Grid Imperial First Editions (Epoch i5) 6 inch to 1 mile, SJ 66 SE, 1954 (Maps and Plans). SCH9391.

<10> Historic England, 1940-2021, The Historic England Archive, N647 20625_048 - 20625_052 (Paper Archive). SCH9105.

Aerial photographs taken in 2006.

<11> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 273/2, c.1849 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

Not depicted on the map but the plot is recorded as Moat Field. Plot to the north is Dovehouse Yard. To the east, Great Field.

<12> Bryant, A., 1831, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2114.

This map depicts a rectangular moat with a causeway on the western side.

<13> Environment Agency, 2003-2020, Environment Agency LiDAR Surveys, Composite DTM 1m (2022) (Digital Archive). SCH7819.