NHER 3748 (Monument record) - Medieval settlement

Moat (Ordnance Survey).

1931.
(S1) quote a letter from [1] 16 September 1931 saying that 400m (1/4 mile) northeast of sixth milestone on Gayton road is a moated enclosure with some building on it, near a site where are remains of a church with sherds. (S2) gives same quotation but inserts 'Roman' before sherds!

19 April 1976. Ordnance Survey air photography.
Earthworks.
D. Voisey (NLA), 23 January 1995.

8 July 1976. NAU air photograph.
Shows that the moat is the centre of a complex of ditched enclosures, all rectangular, with a hollow way cutting off the bend in the modern road. No trace of buildings seen on photo.

1979.
Scheduled.
E. Rose NAU).

2 July 1981. Visit.
Earthworks in good condition under pasture, (S7).
E. Rose (NAU).

A partly water filled T shaped depression measuring some 60m in length, 12m in width and 1.6m in depth. The feature is filled by surface drainage and its form within the shrinkage pattern makes it unlikely to have been a moat, simply a pond.
Information from (S2).
R. J. Rickett (NAU), 24 April 1990.

June 1994. Watching Brief.
Observation of footings for new house at TF 7213 1940 on plot to east of scheduled area, directly in line with with hollow way as shown on (S3) by [2].
Topsoil depth 0.35m, undulating interface with natural. Product of historic ploughing? Modern sherds observed but not collected. Sandy clay natual with substantial sand lenses excavated to 1.20m. All trench walls hand cleaned but no suggestion of archaeological features. In fact [1]'s plot is inaccurate, the hollow way clearly swinging to the south and tapering out to join the modern road before it reaches the house site.
See (S4) in file.
A. Crowson (NAU) 13 June 1994.

1996. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1000. Re interpretation as common edge settlement, possibly in part manorial.
See report (S5) for plan and further details. The site was included in (S8) and the survey is also noted in (S9).
B. Cushion (NLA) June 1996.

December 2000. Scheduled area extended.
Information from (S6).
D. Gurney (NLA), 28 December 2000.

(S6) suggests this might be West Hall Manor, although the house now known as West Hall lies some 550m to the southeast (not on NHER, but adjacent to earthworks NHER 35473).
D. Gurney (NLA), 11 January 2001.