ANCIENT EARTHWORKS
HOMESTEAD MOATS
(Class F)
Hambleton (ix, 8). — Near the northern bank of the River Gwash, half a mile north from Edith Weston, a small circular plot of ground is surrounded by water obtained through a channel from the river.
Horn (vi, 9). — Six miles north-east-by-east from Oakham, within a valley sheltered by hills, is a rectangular site surrounded by a moat 16 ft. wide. The banks are generally 4 ft. high above the water, except on the west, where they rise to 6 ft. A tributary of the Gwash flows in a southerly direction close by its eastern side, and extensive fish-stews lie to the north.
North Luffenham (ix, 16). — South of North Luffenham Hall, and 6 miles south-east from Oakham, on the northern bank of the River Chater, there is a rectangular site surrounded by a shallow moat 14 ft. broad. The banks gradually slope to the water, rising 3 ft. on the north and 5 ft. on the south. The area is divided into two parts by a branch of the moat, the smaller eastern part is generally lower than the larger western portion. The south-eastern corner is within a few feet of the river. To the north of this moat is a long artificial trench and various field banks.
West of North Luffenham Church is the site of Old Luffenham Hall, to the south of which is a portion of a semicircular moat.
MOATED INCLOSURES WITH STRONGER DEFENSIVE WORKS
(Class G)
Empingham (x, i). — To the south of the village, 5½ miles east from Oakham, is a rectangular moated site with its long axis running parallel to, and close by, the northern bank of the River Gwash. The scarp into the moat is 5 ft. deep, and the moat, 24 ft. wide, has a counterscarp generally measuring 3 ft. in height, but on the north, farthest from the river, it is 5 ft. 6 in. The northern and southern sides are strengthened by a rampart which on the north is 5 ft. from the outer edge of the moat. Beyond the western side is another square inclosure, one side of the moat already mentioned forming its eastern side; the northern defence is an extension of that side of the first moat, but on the south and the west fish-ponds take the place of the moat whilst providing the same character of defence. A small channel at the south-western angle conducted the water from one pond to the other, and at the south-east corner, which is also the south-west angle of the principal moat, is an outlet for the waters into the Gwash. To the north of the moat are the remains of field embankments.
Essendine (vii, 5). — The site of Essendine Castle, 4 miles north-east-by-north from Stamford, is surrounded by a very wide moat, a defence which extends to the church and graveyard, and round a small court on the south. The great moat close to the western bank of the River Glen is 37 ft. wide at its narrowest part, and nearly twice that breadth at the north and west. The central oblong area stands 18 ft. above the base of the moat, and its counterscarp is 1 2 ft. From the south-west another moat branches outwards
