Castle Rough, Sittingbourne

Description

The moated site at Castle Rough is of particular importance because it survives to a great extent intact. This has preserved a diverse range of features in addition to the moat itself, including a barbican gate which has not been identified at any other Kent moated site. The continued wetness of the moat indicates that the site has high archaeological potential for the recovery of normally perishable artefacts and other evidence, while the undisturbed and raised nature of the island suggests that the archaeological potential is high there too, both for the recovery of evidence of the buildings on the island and for the retrieval of evidence of the environment in which the monument was constructed from the buried ground surface. Castle Rough, which local legend has as a Danish/Viking encampment dating from 893, is a fine example of a Medieval moated manor site. A waterlogged moat some 6-8m across defines an island 45m square on which the buildings of the manor stood, although traces of these are no longer visible on the surface. On the south-west side of the moat a D-shaped raised area probably represents the site of an external gatehouse, while at the eastern and southern corners leats which guided the flow of water into and away from the moat survive. Moated sites are generally seen as the prestigious residences of the Lords of the Manor. The moat marked the high status of the occupier but also served to deter casual raiders and wild animals. Most moats were built between 1250 and 1350, and small-scale excavation at the site has confirmed that Castle Rough originated at about that time. (Scheduling Report)

Comments

The attribution of the recorded Danish camp is given to several sites in Sittingbourne including Castle Rough, Bayford Court and, the lost, Bayford Castle (which was also called Castle Ruffe). There is some confabulation and confusion between these sites none of which have any real evidence of being C9 in origin.