What is a moated site?

What a moated site is

Historic England records around 6,000 moated sites in England, with by far the greatest concentration in central and eastern England. The peak period of construction was between about 1250 and 1350. The island is often square or rectangular, and some sites have more than one island or enclose gardens and orchards. Waterlogged moat deposits often preserve organic remains such as wood and plant material.

How moated sites look on LiDAR

A moated site shows as a square or rectangular platform surrounded by a broad, flat-bottomed ditch, often with an entrance causeway across it. Water absorbs most of the laser energy, so a water-filled moat usually appears as a smooth flat surface or as a gap filled in by interpolation, and only dry moats show their true depth. Sky-view factor and negative openness show dry moat ditches clearly, and a local relief model shows the island platform and nearby features such as fishponds and enclosures.

See LiDAR visualisations explained for what each method shows.

What can look like one

Fishponds, mill ponds, ornamental garden canals, flooded clay or marl pits and field drainage ditches can look like parts of a moat.

Protection

Many moated sites are scheduled monuments, protected in England by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and in Wales by the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023.

Examples on the LiDAR

Where they are

Counties with the most moated sites that have a page here.

More examples