NHER 17762 (Monument record) - Site of possible medieval moat

1981.
East of barn in rectory grounds. Found in gardening.
Complete medieval/Post medieval lava mill stone about 18cm diameter, about 4cm thick.
W. Milligan (NCM) 19 November 1981.

The barn is the northern of the two buildings shown on 1:10,000 OS and not the southern as formerly wrongly marked on NHER map.
The barn is clay lump on brick plinth with an integral south catslide containing a porch and two stables; a good example but not of archaeological interest. A large southeast extension shown on (S1) has gone. The house is also clay lump with fireplaces, cornices etc. of mid 19th century type.
To the southwest is an L-shaped pond now surrounding the New Rectory as well. Its east to west arm is very wide, waterfilled but shallow, but has no evidence of continuation to east. North to south arm shown on (S1) as no more than channel.
Owners believe this is a moat, and say the site was the birthplace of Nicholas Breakspeare, the English pope; but this seems based upon the premise that the rectory has always stood here.
There is a moat just to the south, NHER 9506, and though this is a former green edge site, the pond could simply have been a quarry for the clay lump.
E. Rose (NLA), 25 October 1996.