In Search of A Medieval Moat!

[@MrGreatplum]

What an interesting moat - good find! I wonder if there has been any archaeological digs at this site? Fabulous weather - spring is coming!

[@RichardVobes]

No idea - it would be good to see.

[@barryrice4957]

One of my favourite walks. If you follow the river Arun north you come to Houghton bridge (via the Gurkha bridge)and the tea rooms (highly recommended).

[@vestafairie]

thank you again for a history lesson come to life!

[@RichardVobes]

A pleasure as always!

[@georgetimperley8906]

That is really fascinating, that tree was certainly big. well done the both of you for finding the moat.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks George.

[@MrNas42]

Got to love a Moat! That was a fun find. Thank you both.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks Nigel.

[@MarqEnglish]

I love me a good Moat...our landscape continues to fascinate :)

[@RichardVobes]

Me too - great fun being a landscape detective.

[@davidbooth3285]

If trees could talk,that great oak would be able to explain exactly what the moat was for! It should have been an Ent!!!

[@RichardVobes]

I am not sure what an Ent is, but if it could talk that would be great!

[@kennethgoodman3230]

A moat enjoyable and interesting walk

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@BrainStormAcres]

What a timely and interesting walk. As you were posting this video, we are camped in a several hundred acres farm field close to Phoenix Arizona US with a few thousands medieval re-creators. We’ve had several days of rain which has created our own “moat” that unfortunately runs through our pavilion. Truly loved watching your walk! Thanks for all of your videos.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks so much for the info about your camping - hope you had a fab time despite the rain!

[@BrainStormAcres]

Richard Vobes thanks for your kind words. It’s fun, if somewhat of a challenge. The excitement commences when it’s time for us to leave. Here’s hoping that the mud pit dries enough by Monday to leave!

[@RichardVobes]

Oh golly! Good luck!

[@mickyjb2003]

What an interesting story, and that oak tree, huge.

[@RichardVobes]

Yes, it was more massive in real life!

[@dylankhweziradebe7659]

This is pretty interesting and relaxing content

[@malcolmcog]

In the Forest of Arden, in Warwickshire there are manuy moats, most around farms and manor houses. The early Medieval moats were defensive when the Forest of Arden was wild and still had boars and wolves and bands of robbers., However, the later moats, especially around manor houses, were for fashion !

[@RichardVobes]

Yes indeed - another way to show off your wealth. Thanks for watching!

[@stephengardiner9867]

A walk about the area enclosed by this moat would have been interesting as there would have been some surface indications of a structure if this site ever actually had one.

[@RichardVobes]

Yes they may well have been more to see it is true.

[@lesleycouch6557]

That was very interesting, thank you Richard and Richard, a little history of the origins of Burpham and you found the moat as well. Magnificent tree - if only trees could talk!

[@RichardVobes]

Oh I wish the tree could talk - what would it say!

[@ladyshep]

Go to borley church and what used to be borley rectory over the road😆

[@RichardVobes]

Will have to investigate at some point.

[@RichardVobes]

Oh golly!

[@shaunlaverick5793]

green garden field is a meadow but the site is mentioned in MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES section .www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=763496#aRt

[@Red_____________]

Awesome

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks very much

[@shaunlaverick5793]

more details of the moated site can be found on pastcapes in MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=392669#aRm

[@tooyoungtobeold8756]

A brace of Richards.

[@marksadventures3889]

Moat and Mott a a kid I got it all confused - all that mott & Bailey - i think a Bailey is a kind of fortified house? Yes, no?

[@RichardVobes]

The Motte is the man made hill in the centre of the courtyard on with the keep stands. The Bailey is the walled courtyard around which the motte stands and houses various support buildings for the keep. The moat is a a ditch encircling the lot, often filled with water, but not always.

[@djmossssomjd8496]

Richard...and Richard...nice walk. I wonder if some of those 'moats' were meant to keep livestock away from the house. A bit like the Ha-ha walls?

[@RichardVobes]

Well you never know - that could have been their use.

[@danielsedgwick5476]

Would love to know more about the Moats history, was it for a Castle or House?

[@RichardVobes]

Probably a house, it would be great to learn more.

[@DavidB5501]

I think at one point around 3:30 you said King Arthur when you meant King Alfred. (You do say Alfred later in the video.)

[@RichardVobes]

Oh silly me - yes not King Arthur!

[@shaunlaverick5793]

very interesting site and nice video as always Richard...and with Mr Suggett…. In the aerial photo in video if look at the river just below the site you will spot a part of the river jutting inland..this is where it fed channels that had sluices according to the 1897 map ..the course of which ran the boundary of the field the site is in it seems.i would think its this bit of the river jutting inland the moat would have been fed by via the boundary channels running nearby www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/503350/109410/12/100547

[@shaunlaverick5793]

google aerial of site www.google.co.uk/maps/search/medieval+manor+house+site+burpham++river+arun/@50.8751788,-0.5336735,545m/data=!3m1!1e3

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks for the posts and links Shaun. Fascinating stuff. A real find. I thought it had to be a moat around a manor house. All interesting stuff. Amazing to be standing there.

[@shaunlaverick5793]

it seems a full excavation has never been carried out..though many other things close by have been fully dug....seems a little odd they've not considering they field investigated twice

[@SussexYank]

From the Ordnance Survey map, this moat is well above the level of the Arun, as it stands now -- but back in Saxon times things may have been quite different. At high tide the level of the river might have risen far enough to fill the moat. The moat at Bramber Castle used to be capable of being partially filled on its east side by the Bramber's rising at high tide, so this moat here might have experienced the same thing. Although I doubt it. Great walk, Richard!

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks very much - yes it is often the case that the river ran in a different place. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@shaunlaverick5793]

I think this may relate to the moat..and ii may have surrounded a fortified medieval manor house www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3594371

[@shaunlaverick5793]

another of the above www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3594260