Overwater Moat

Description

The moated site 450m south east of Overwater Hall survives reasonably well, its earthworks in particular remaining well preserved. It is unencumbered by modern development and will retain evidence for the building which would have originally occupied the island.
The monument includes a medieval moated site located in a valley bottom 450m south east of Overwater Hall. It includes a sub-rectangular island surrounded by a dry moat that is flanked on all sides by an outer bank. The island measures between 86m-90m north-south by 66m-74m east-west and contains an inner bank on its east and west sides; this bank measures 2m wide by 0.3m high on the island's west side, but along the east side it only exists as a faint earthwork other than a short length at the south east corner where it measures up to 6m wide and 1.3m high. The island is surrounded by a dry moat 2.5m-6m wide and up to 1.2m deep which was fed by an inlet channel, now dry, at the south east corner. Traces of two outlet channels, both now dry, exist at the north west and north east corners. Flanking the moat on the east and west sides is an outer bank 4m-5m wide and up to 1.3m high. There is a break in the outer bank on the east side of the moat a little to the north of centre which indicates the site of an entrance where a bridge would have originally been located. An outer bank also exists on the south side but is a much less substantial feature, being 3m wide and 0.2m high. On the north side of the moat aerial photographs show faint traces of an outer bank which has subsequently been largely removed or quarried away leaving a rectangular hollow at the north east corner and an L shaped bank at the north west corner. (Scheduling Report)

A nearly square moated enclosure S. of Overwater. It is of mediaeval type, having one entrance, the upcast being on both sides of the ditch (Collingwood 1923).
A mediaeval garth, like that at Setterah Park, Westmorland (OGS Crawford Record 6").
Earthwork remains of a Medieval moated site; it consists of a sub-rectangular island surrounded by a dry moat that is flanked on all sides by an outer bank (English Heritage SAM Amendment 10.5.95).
The moat earthworks are visible on air photographs. Recent photography taken in July 2000 shows the southern arm of the moat is less well defined than the other three sides. There are associated water channels at the corners of the moat ditch, except the south-west one. There is post medieval narrow ridge and furrow (recorded in NY 23 NE 42) on the interior moat platform, surviving as earthworks on recent photography. Other ridge and furrow to the east of the moat is no longer extant. (PastScape)

Comments

Perriam and Robinson reference Collingwood but note that his reference (1882-3, 'Excursions and Proceedings' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 6 p. 511) actually does not refer to this site.
Sizable moat, presumably a precursor to Overwater Hall.