ANCIENT EARTHWORKS 



MOATED ENCLOSURES WITH STRONGER DEFENSIVE WORKS 

 [Class G] 

 BouGHTON Malherbe : CoLBRiDGE Castle. — At Coldbridge, or 

 Colbridge, Farm,' about three miles south of Lenham, are the extensive 

 moats which mark the site of the early castle of the Peyforers. Here, 

 as in many Kentish examples, water was made to play a principal part 

 in the scheme of defence. The site is on the slope of the land towards 



5/>c of 

 Colbridge Casfte, 

 Boughron Malherbe. 



Moat at Colbridge Farm, Boughton Malherbe (on site of Castle). 



the south-east, and a stream was dammed and partially diverted to fill 

 the moats with water. Though it is not apparent that the outer moat 

 extended sufficiently to form a second defence on all sides, there are 

 indefinite traces of its further continuation here and there. The inner 

 moat which protected the keep is well defined. 



Cooling Castle. — This is a stronghold of a class to which belong 

 Brandon in Warwickshire, Old Ingarsby in Leicestershire, Braybrooke 

 in Northamptonshire, and others. It stands low, less than half a mile 

 from the marsh land of the Thames, and within two miles of the river, 

 possessing no natural defence other than water may have provided. The 

 defences of the castle consisted chiefly of stone walls and water moats, 



1 The ancient name seems to have been Colnucbregga. A licence to crenellate was granted 

 7 Edward II. 



429 



