Monument record MDO1882 - Moigne Court, Owermoigne

Moigne Court, a late 13th century stone rubble-built moated house of two storeys with first floor hall and some 16th century windows and modern additions. <1>

Moat The now dry moat surrounding the house encloses a square area of about 2/3 acre. The much overgrown sides are 52 metres long and partially filled-in, except for the southern arm which is 1.5m - 2.5 metres deep and 15 metres wide at its top with a flat bottom 7.5 metres wide. On the north side the ditch is only 1 metre deep; the foundations of a bridge were found on this side in the 19th century.
Chapel. To the north of the moat, according to Hutchins, the foundations of a building, considered to be the remain of a chapel, were removed. Not traced by RCHM.
Earthworks To the east of the moat, "extensive remains of foundations" were discovered according to Hutchins, and beyond these lay a series of enclosures surrounded by a ditch and for a much of the perimeter by an inner bank now 1 metre high.
Excavation of this enclosure area by D J Viner and P R Walker in 1971-73 proved that the ditch had been re-cut at least twice and part of one central platform was constructed of limestone and chalk. A stone wall, almost totally robbed, showed evidence that slight timber buildings, possibly open-sided lean-to structures, had been aligned along its north face. On the south a post-hole pattern suggested similar structures. Excavation of a second platform revealed a robbed stone-walled building with chalk floor, about 36m x 8 metres which probably served as a cow-shed or stable. At right angles to this building and separated by a cobbled yard was another stone-walled structure some 27m x 7 metres and divided into a screens-passage, hall, closet, "parlour" and kitchen. The building was identified as the main living-house of a Tudor yeoman farmer which had been constructed in the early 16th century and extensively robbed by the late 17th/early 18th centuries. A stable annexe to the north of the building had accommmodated the household riding horses.

Large quantities of 3rd and 4th century pottery and some building debris were found in a 'sondage' (deep trench to investigate stratigraphy) about 100 metres south east of the yeoman farmer's house, and suggested that a substantial structure, possibly a villa, stood in this part of the field. Further evidence of Romano-British material was found sealed beneath the floor of the yeoman farmer's house and included quantities of painted wall plaster, pegged roof-tiles and other building debris; this had apparently been used as packing for the foundations of the yeoman's house in the early 16th century.

Two, almost rectangular, flat-topped mounds at SY 77008573 and SY 77008567 measuring 3ft and 5ft respectively are of unknown purpose. To the north west of the moat surrounding Moigne Court are four fish ponds set round a rhomboidal area, that were probably once joined by a channel with sluices. Leats from a stream 100 yds to the west once fed and drained them. Plan (4).

Moigne's Court. A moated house with a first floor hall. Late 13th century with 16th alterations to fenestration. A c1900 south cross range on site of original solar wing and a c1900 north east wing. <5>

SY 772857. Tudor and 17th century farmstead, and Romano British Settlement. Scheduled. (See illustration for scheduled area). <11>

Moigne Court (name confirmed) is as described by RCHM (4). The moat is generally as described, and is partly water-filled on the south, but now very overgrown. The alleged site of the chapel (SY 77078578) lies in a vegetable garden; there is no evidence of a building. Of the four fish-ponds to the north-west of the house, three are water-filled and surrounded by dense vegetation. The mound noted by RCHM (4) at SY 77008573, (`A'), has been virtually levelled; that at SY 77008567, (`B'), is 18.0m in diameter, 1.5m high and tree-covered. Two additional mounds at SY 76928571, (`C'), and SY 76978571, (`D'), are each 9.0m in diameter and 1.0m high. No date or purpose can be ascribed to any of these mounds. Moat, fishponds and earthworks, re-surveyed, and mounds and banks to west of house surveyed at, 1:2500 on MSD. <12>

<1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 454-8 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 17-DEC-54 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 7705870) Moigne Court (NR)
(SY 77078579) Chapel (NR) (site of) (NAT)
(Centred SY 772857) Earthwork (NR)

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 184-185 (Monograph). SDO148.

‘(2) MOIGNE COURT (¼ m. N.N.E.) consists of a house on a moated site, with accompanying enclosures and ponds. The house, of two storeys with walls of rubble and roofs covered with slates, is of the late 13th century with modern additions (Plate 115). The main part of the present house contains the original first-floor hall and the service rooms; the N.E. wing is modern but replaces an original solar wing; the smaller staircase wing to the E. and the S. end of the house are modern additions (M. E. Wood in Arch. Journal, cv, Supplt. (1950), 16–18). The moated site, enclosures and ponds cover about 8 acres. They lie on Reading Beds, some 130 ft. above O.D., in a generally flat area intersected by many small streams, now largely canalised.
Moigne Court is an interesting example of a late 13th-century moated house with a first-floor hall retaining its original windows.
Architectural Description—The original part of the house forms a long rectangle running N.–S. The W. front has at the N. end weathering where a buttress has been removed and towards the S. a projection for a chimney which has been cut down to the level of the roof. A blocked doorway has a rough arched head. The ground-floor windows are of three lights with stone mullions: one is of the 16th century and the others of the 19th century. The upper storey has three original windows each of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in plate tracery under a two-centred head; the head and jambs are moulded and rebated and of Purbeck stone; the tracery is of Ham Hill stone; on the inside (Plate 115) the windows are finished with attached shafts with moulded bases and capitals carrying hollow-chamfered rear arches; the southernmost has an internal moulded label. The middle window, possibly reset here in the 19th century, has a shallow buttress-like projection of the wall below it which may have supported the chimney breast of a hall fireplace where the window now is. A blocking in the N. gable wall may indicate the former position of the window.
The gabled N. end has a single-stage buttress to the W.; the doorway is modern. The E. wall, between modern wings, has a ground-floor doorway, which is not original and has a modern arched head, and a window further N. set in a doorway of which parts of the jambs are original and the N. splay finishes in a chamfer with a stop reset and inverted. Above the latter is a doorway to the upper storey also converted to a window; nothing now remains of any outside stairway to it; it has a moulded two-centred arched head, continuous jambs and a moulded label cut away at the ends; the depressed segmental rear arch is moulded and matches the rear arch of a doorway further N. which presumably led to the solar in the original N.E. wing; the main arch to this latter doorway has been destroyed.
Inside, there is a cross wall on the ground floor which is probably original; the room S. of it has had a large fireplace and was probably at one time the kitchen. The opposed doorways immediately N. of the cross wall suggest a through passage under the S. end of the hall. Otherwise the interior has been entirely rearranged and refitted.’

<5> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 309-10 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<6> Society for Medieval Archaeology, 1972, Medieval Archaeology: journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology 16, 101 (Serial). SWX9220.

<7> Society for Medieval Archaeology, 1973, Medieval Archaeology: journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology 17, 174 (Serial). SDO17137.

<8> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1974, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1973, 101 (Serial). SDO73.

<9> Society for Medieval Archaeology, 1975, Medieval Archaeology: journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology 18, 209 (Serial). SDO17138.

<10> Upton, K L, 1978, The Moated Sites of Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO14051.

<11> Department of the Environment, 1978, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England (Vol 2), 82 (Monograph). SWX1687.

<12> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 25-JAN-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<13> Stone, J W, Field Investigators Comments JWS, F3 JWS 01-FEB-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11902.

<14> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<15> Historic England, Historic England Archive (Index). SDO14738.

Object Number
Object Title
Scope And Content
A35486 OVERMOIGNE
P35380 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35381 OVERMOIGNE-EXCAVATIONS
P35382 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35383 OVERMOIGNE -UNSPECIFIED VIEW OF SITE
P35384 OVERMOIGNE -SITE AFTER SOIL COVER REMOVED
P35385 OVERMOIGNE -TOP COVER REMOVED
P35386 OVERMOIGNE-LOOKING DOWN ON SITE
P35387 OVERMOIGNE -LOOKING DOWN ON SITE
P35388 OVERMOIGNE-LOOKING DOWN ON PARTIALY EXCAVATED WALLS
P35389 OVERMOIGNE-PARTIALLY EXCAVATED WALLS
P35390 OVERMOIGNE -UNSPECIFIED VIEW OF SITE
P35391 OVERMOIGNE-UNSPECIFIED VIEW
P35392 OVERMOIGNE-LOOKING DOWN ON LATER VIEW OF SITE
P35393 OVERMOIGNE-WORK PROCEEDING
P35394 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35395 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35396 OVERMOIGNE -EXCAVATED DITCH
P35397 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF SITE SHOWING CAMERA ROSTRUM
P35398 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS AND FLOOR
P35399 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS AND FLOOR
P35400 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS AND FLOOR
P35401 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS AND FLOOR
P35402 OVERMOIGNE -ARTWORK ON THE WALLS
P35403 OVERMOIGNE-DITCH
P35404 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS AND FLOOR
P35405 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS AND FLOOR
P35406 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS AND FLOOR
P35407 OVERMOIGNE -STONE SCATTER
P35408 OVERMOIGNE-FLOOR AND WALLS
P35409 OVERMOIGNE-OVERHEAD ROSTRUM VIEW OF EXCAVATIONS
P35410 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS AND FLOOR
P35411 OVERMOIGNE -VIEW SHOWS UNEXCAVATED PART OF SITE.
P35412 OVERMOIGNE -FLOOR AND WALLS
P35413 OVERMOIGNE-OVERHEAD ROSTRUM VIEW OF WORK PROCEEDING
P35414 OVERMOIGNE- VIEW SHOWING UNEXCAVATED PART OF SITE.
P35415 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF EXCAVATIONS
P35416 OVERMOIGNE
P35417 OVERMOIGNE-EXCAVATIONS AT WORK
P35418 OVERMOIGNE- ROSTRUM VIEW OF EXCAVATIONS
P35419 OVERMOIGNE-ROSTRUM VIEW OF EXCAVATIONS
P35420 OVERMOIGNE-SITE SHOWING WALLS AND DITCH
P35421 OVERMOIGNE-EXCAVATION CLEARING NONE SOIL
P35422 OVERMOIGNE -ROSTRUM VIEW OF SITE
P35423 OVERMOIGNE -CLOSE UP OF WALL BY EXCAVATOR
P35424 OVERMOIGNE -CLOSE UP OF VOLUNTEER
P35425 OVERMOIGNE-ROSTRUM VIEW OF SITE
P35426 OVERMOIGNE-OVERHEAD ROSTRUM VIEW OF EXCAVATION
P35427 OVERMOIGNE -OVERHEAD ROSTRUM VIEW OF EXCAVATION
P35428 OVERMOIGNE -OVERHEAD LONG VIEW OF SITE
P35429 OVERMOIGNE-UNDISTURBED VIEW OF SITE
P35430 OVERMOIGNE- VIEW OF UNDISTTURBED SITE
P35431 OVERMOIGNE -TOP SOIL BEING REMOVED
P35432 OVERMOIGNE -SOIL BEING REMOVED
P35433 OVERMOIGNE -OUTLINE OF WALLS APPEAR
P35434 OVERMOIGNE-ROSTRUM GENERAL VIEW AROUND SITE
P35435 OVERMOIGNE -ROSTRUM VIEW OF EXCAVATION
P35436 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF SITE SHOWING WOODLAND
P35437 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF SITE SHOWING WOODLAND
P35438 OVERMOIGNE -OVERHEAD VIEW OF SITE
P35439 OVERMOIGNE
P35440 OVERMOIGNE-CLOSE UP OF SITE SHOWING WALL IN BACKGROUND
P35441 OVERMOIGNE -STONE SCATTER
P35442 OVERMOIGNE-LOOKING TOWARDS ROSTRUM
P35443 OVERMOIGNE-ROSTRUM VIEW OF EXCAVATION
P35444 OVERMOIGNE -CLOSE UP OF WORK
P35445 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35446 OVERMOIGNE-WALL PARTIALLY CLEARED
P35447 OVERMOIGNE-INTENSIVE WORK AT NORTH END OF SITE
P35448 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW
P35449 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35450 OVERMOIGNE-EXCAVATED WALLS AND DITCH
P35451 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW
P35452 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF PARTIALLY CLEARED FLOOR.
P35453 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF PARTIALLY CLEARED FLOOR
P35454 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35455 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35456 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW SHOWING EXCAVATED STOREY.
P35457 OVERMOIGNE -VIEW SHOWING DITCH IN FOREGROUND WITH NEW AREA IN BACKGROUND.
P35458 OVERMOIGNE -PARTIALLY CLEARED AREA
P35459 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW
P35460 OVERMOIGNE -VIEW OF SITE WITH WOODS IN BACKGROUND
P35461 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS, DITCH WITH INVADED WALLS
P35462 OVERMOIGNE-FLOOR AND WALLS
P35463 OVERMOIGNE -FLOOR AND WALLS
P35464 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW SHOWING OUTLINE OF BUILDINGS
P35465 OVERMOIGNE-OVERHEAD VIEW OF SITE
P35466 OVERHEAD VIEW OF BUILDINGS OVERHEAD VIEW OF BUILDINGS
P35467 OVERMOIGNE -FLOOR AREA
P35468 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35469 OVERMOIGNE-LOOKING TO WEST OF SITE
P35470 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS WITH CRUMBLING WALL IN BACKGROUND
P35471 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35472 OVERMOIGNE-WORK IN PROGRESS
P35473 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35474 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW SHOWING WALLS OF BUILDING
P35475 OVERMOIGNE-FLOOR AREA
P35476 OVERMOIGNE-TOP SOIL BEING REMOVED
P35477 OVERMOIGNE -OVERHEAD VIEW CLEARLY SHOWING BUILDING OUTLINE
P35478 OVERMOIGNE-EXCAVATION IN PROGRESS
P35479 OVERMOIGNE -EXCAVATIONS IN PROGRESS
P35480 OVERMOIGNE-EXCAVATIONS IN PROGRESS LOOKING WEST
P35481 OVERMOIGNE-LOOKING WEST OVER EXCAVATION
P35482 OVERMOIGNE-CLOSE UP OF WALLS
P35483 OVERMOIGNE -CLOSE UP OF WALLS
P35484 OVERMOIGNE-SOUTH END OF SITE
P35485 OVERMOIGNE -SOUTH END OF SITE
P35486 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF WALLS
P35487 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS LOOKING WEST
P35488 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF WALLS AND STOREY
P35489 OVERMOIGNE -OVERHEAD VIEW OF EXCAVATION
P35490 OVERMOIGNE -SOIL STRIPPING
P35491 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF STOREY
P35492 OVERMOIGNE -OVERHEAD VIEW OF WALLS AND STOREY
P35493 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS/ STOREY
P35494 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW SHOWING 2 AREAS BEING EXCAVATED
P35495 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF BUILDING OUTLINE AND 2ND AREA IN PROCEEDING
P35496 OVERMOIGNE -TOP SOIL STRIPPING
P35497 OVERMOIGNE -WORK ON WALLS
P35498 OVERMOIGNE -OVERHEAD VIEW OF SITE
P35499 OVERMOIGNE- OVERHEAD VIEW OF SITE
P35500 OVERMOIGNE -GENERAL VIEW WITH EXPOSED WALL IN FOREGROUND
P35501 OVERMOIGNE -WORK ON FLOOR AND DITCH
P35502 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35503 OVERMOIGNE-UNSPECIFIED VIEW OF SITE
P35504 OVERMOIGNE-LOOKING SOUTH AT EXCAVATION
P35505 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS WITH STONE SCATTER
P35506 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW WITH DECAYING WALL IN BACKGROUND
P35507 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS AND STONE SCATTER
P35508 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS AND STONE SCATTER
P35509 OVERMOIGNE-UNSPECIFIED VIEW OF SITE
P35510 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35511 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW
P35512 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW
P35513 OVERMOIGNE-BUILDING OUTLINE AND DITCH
P35514 OVERMOIGNE-UNSPECIFIED VIEW OF SITE
P35515 OVERMOIGNE -UNSPECIFIED VIEW OF SITE
P35516 OVERMOIGNE-FLOOR AREA
P35517 OVERMOIGNE-FLOOR AREA
P35518 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW OF SITE
P35519 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS/ STONE SCATTER
P35520 OVERMOIGNE -CLOSE-UP OF WALLS/BUILDING
P35521 OVERMOIGNE-CLOSE UP OF BUILDING OUTLINE
P35522 OVERMOIGNE -NORTH END OF SITE
P35523 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS AND FLOOR AREA
P35524 OVERMOIGNE-EXPOSED WALLS AND FLOOR
P35525 OVERMOIGNE-EXPOSED WALLS AND FLOOR
P35526 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF 3 AREAS BEING STRIPPED
P35527 OVERMOIGNE -UNSPECIFIED VIEW
P35528 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS AND FLOOR
P35529 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS AND FLOOR
P35530 OVERMOIGNE-DITCH/WALLS/FLOOR
P35531 OVERMOIGNE -DITCH/WALLS/FLOOR
P35532 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS/FLOOR AREA
P35533 OVERMOIGNE-WALLS/FLOOR AREA
P35534 OVERMOIGNE-VIEW OF VARIOUS EXCAVATED AREAS
P35535 OVERMOIGNE -WALLS
P35536 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW
P35537 OVERMOIGNE-GENERAL VIEW
P35538 OVERMOIGNE-FLOOR AREA BEING CLEARED
P35539 OVERMOIGNE-EXPOSED WALLS
P35540 OVERMOIGNE -EXPOSED WALLS OF BUILDINGS
P35541 OVERMOIGNE-EXPOSED WALLS OF BUILDING
P35542 OVERMOIGNE-SECTIONS OF DITCH
P80000 OVERMOIGN

<16> National Record of the Historic Environment, 453903 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 22 2024 10:54AM