A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



MOATED INCLOSURES WITH STRONGER 

 DEFENSIVE WORKS 



(Class G) 



Barrow (xliii, 7). — Barrow Hall, north of the village, 6 miles west from 

 Bury St. Edmunds, has extensive remains of strong entrenchments. There is 

 one perfect, large, square moat, with the western side extended northwards, 

 which is evidently part of the enclosure of another area. These moats have 

 been strengthened by inner and outer banks ; that within the square moat is 

 a great rampart 20 ft. broad, rising 5 ft. from the interior with an escarpment 

 of 1 6 ft. to the water. The bank on the outside of the moat is preserved 

 only at the south-west corner and the southern side ; this is of the same height, 

 but of less width, than the inner one. Without the northern side another 

 piece is left ; but the greater part was destroyed forty years ago. On the 

 western side of the extension the bank is 6 ft. high. When in a complete 

 state this must have been one of the strongest homestead defences in the 

 county. 



Chevington (xliii, 16). — Although the work around the country house 

 of the abbots of Bury — the site of which is now occupied by Chevington 

 Hall Farm — served the purposes of a moat; it is in fact a very strongly forti- 

 fied position of an early date, and as such will be found under Class C. 



Great Barton (xxxiii, 16). — The site of Necton Old Hall, north-west 

 of the village, 2J miles north-east from Bury St. Edmunds, is surrounded by 

 a square moat, now somewhat dilapidated on the north. Outside the 

 southern part of the eastern side is a portion of an agger over 100 ft. long, 

 indicating the former defensive additions to the moat. 



Great Thurlow (Ixi, 8). — At Wadgell's Farm, north of Sawley Green 

 and east of Little Thurlow, 4 miles north-north-east from Haverhill, are 

 fragments of a once large and strongly fortified moat. Outside the eastern 

 part of the moat are the remains of an earthen bank which gradually decreases 

 towards the north until it is totally lost. 



Hawstead (liv, 2). — Hawstead Place, north-west of the village, 

 2i miles south from Bury, is a strongly defended manor house of a type 

 between a castle and a homestead. The inner quadrangular site is built from 

 the moat to a height of from 5 ft. to 8 ft. The moat averages 40 ft. wide, 

 except on the west, where it is slightly narrower. The outer side of the moat 

 rises 3 ft. above the water, and leaving a path around its margin there rises a 

 strong bank surrounding three of its sides 7 ft. above the path, making a total 

 height of I oft. above the water. This agger on the north and east is 14 ft. 

 broad and 4 ft. 6 in. above the outside ground level. 



Helmingham (Ivii, 12). — In Helmingham Park, 3^ miles south by west 

 from Debenham, the Tudor mansion of the ToUemache family is surrounded 

 by a very wide square moat, crossed by two drawbridges. Along the exterior 

 edge of the north-west side a strong vallum provided additional defence. The 

 custom of raising the drawbridge is still observed. Parallel to the south-west 

 side is another moat of oblong plan inclosing a large area of land. 



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