Moated site and associated medieval remains 430m north of Church Farm

Heritage listing

Details The monument includes the buried and visible remains of a medieval moated site, together with the buried remains of an adjacent medieval church and cemetery and a small section of an intervening hollow way. The complex is located in a sheltered hollow between two converging streams at the northern end of a broad valley in the Chiltern Hills, immediately to the south of the rather dispersed village of Saunderton. The moated site lies approximately 100m to the south east of the parish church of St Mary and St Nicholas. It is roughly rectangular in plan. The island measures some 90m north west to south east by 60m transversely, and its surface is raised slightly above the level of its immediate surroundings. The material for the raised level doubtless came from the excavation of the surrounding ditch or moat - the north western and south eastern arms of which measure between 15m and 20m across and remain open to a depth of around 1.5m. The central section of the south western arm of the moat has been largely infilled since it was last recorded as open in 1908, although its position can still be traced from the line of the inner scarp. The north eastern arm incorporates the natural stream course which flows from a springhead some 200m to the south east. It is possible that rather than being defined by an artificial ditch, the island always overlooked a broad marshy area on this side. Minor excavations took place on the island in association with farming operations between 1951 and 1953. These revealed the corner foundations of a building in the western quarter of the island, constructed with flint and mortar and including a massive sarsen quoin, which is still visible. A number of medieval artefacts were found in association with the foundations, including a 12th-13

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.