Page:VCH Essex 1.djvu/365

 ANCIENT EARTHWORKS hills or mounts, on the highest of which, as tradition goes, a castle formerly stood.' If ever there was a second mound it has disappeared. HOMESTEAD MOATS We thus denominate the level-surfaced, small, watermoated enclosures which abound in the eastern and some other counties of England. Though usually the site of an ancient manor house or hall, grange or farmhouse, in some cases church, hall and hamlet were included in the protecting sweep of the moat, as at Mundon, Hazeleigh and Canewdon. As Essex possesses between 300 and 400 examples of homestead moats, needless to say we do not propose to enumerate them, but may briefly mention some peculiarities of construction. As a rule the works are rectangular, the only defence a deep moat, varying in Essex from 12 or 15 feet to 60 feet in width (Botelers in Basildon has one over 60 feet wide), the earth dug from the moat being thrown inwards and spread, the surface of the island thus created is made higher than the surrounding ground. Occasionally we find circular moated enclosures ; these almost always exhibit evidence of early and more defensive work, for example at North Weald, where the little unoccupied circular site has remnants of a low rampart on the inner verge of the water. Here and there we have moats with the island intersected by a channel, dividing it into two defensible parts, as at Warish Hall (Takeley), Shellow Bowells, etc. There are some with secondary moated enclosures added irregularly to the main island, as at Berwick Berners, Fingreth Hall (Blackmore), Stock Hall (Matching) and others. Sometimes the extension of the waterworks created three such islands, for example, Essex Hall (Stambourne), and Colchester Hall (Takeley). At Helions Bumpstead and Pierce Williams (Hatfield Broad Oak) are curious stirrup-shaped works, one side straight, the remainder curved. 1 A nearly similar one is at Bolding Hatch (Roxwell). It is interesting to find examples of double moating one within the other, the outer generally slight and at some considerable distance, allowing space for pasture, as at Edwin's Hall (Woodham Ferrers), Mardens Tye (High Easter), Warish Hall (Takeley) and elsewhere. At Good Easter, by the church, is a batch of four moated enclo- sures close together, but not conjoined, apparently independent one of another, and each the site of an ancient home. The exigencies of space will not permit of much discussion of the question ; when was this simple form of defensive earthwork first adopted ? We point to examples at the head or on the sides of creeks and 1 Curiously enough on the inner verge of the moat of each of these are (or were) one or two small mounds or tumuli. 3<>3