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Hanmer Moated Site is a medieval moated enclosure situated in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference FL184. The site occupies land underlain by Triassic rocks of undifferentiated character, composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits laid down during the Triassic period. This geology would have presented particular challenges and opportunities to medieval builders, as the softer sedimentary bedrock is susceptible to waterlogging and relatively easy to excavate for the creation of defensive water-filled ditches.
The moated site represents a common form of medieval settlement and defensive structure, typically comprising a residential dwelling or buildings surrounded by one or more water-filled ditches, often with an outer bank. Such sites proliferated across Britain during the medieval period, particularly from the 12th century onwards, among both nobility and wealthy merchants seeking modest fortified homesteads. The wet clay-rich soils overlying the Triassic bedrock at Hanmer would have favoured the maintenance of standing water in the moat, enhancing its defensive and status-signalling functions.
Today the earthwork survives as a visible landscape feature, preserving evidence of medieval settlement patterns and land use in Wales. The protection afforded by Cadw recognises its archaeological significance as a record of medieval domestic life and social hierarchy in the Welsh border region.
Hanmer Moated Site is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference FL184. View the official record →
Hanmer Moated Site is a medieval moated enclosure situated in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference FL184.
Hanmer Moated Site dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a moated site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hanmer Moated Site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is FL184.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hanmer Churchyard Cross (0.3 km), Mount Cop Castle Mound (1.7 km), Haulton Ring Moated Site (2.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hanmer Moated Site's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Hanmer Moated Site stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.