Scheduled Monuments›England›Hell Moat

Hell Moat

England
List entry 1005381
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1005381
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.52 hectares
Grid reference
SO 36601 51986
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Hell Moat is a motte-and-bailey castle situated in Herefordshire. The monument comprises a substantial mound with a surrounding ditch system, characteristic of Norman fortifications erected in the eleventh or twelfth century. The site represents a typical example of early medieval earthwork fortification, reflecting the military architecture deployed following the Norman Conquest. The survival of its earthwork features provides important evidence for the distribution and form of early Norman defensive structures in the Marches region.

Hell Moat is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1005381. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hell Moat?

Hell Moat is a motte-and-bailey castle situated in Herefordshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1005381.

Who is responsible for protecting Hell Moat?

Hell Moat is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1005381.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hell Moat?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Offa's Dyke: the section N of Upperton Farm, extending 175yds (160m) (5.6 km), Offa's Dyke: Upperton Farm, two sections extending 195yds (180m) and 370yds (340m) S from Yazor (6 km), Moated site and fishponds immediately west of Upper House Farm (6.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hell Moat

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Hell Moat's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Offa's Dyke: the section N of Upperton Farm, extending 175yds (160m)
5.6 km
Offa's Dyke: Upperton Farm, two sections extending 195yds (180m) and 370yds (340m) S from Yazor
6 km
Moated site and fishponds immediately west of Upper House Farm
6.9 km
Offa's Dyke: the section extending 230yds (210m) N and S of the Old Barn near Kenmoor Coppice (SE of Bowmore Wood)
7.1 km
Moated site known as Old Court Mound at Old Court
7.7 km
Bredwardine Castle
8.2 km
Churchyard cross in St Michael and All Angels' churchyard
8.8 km
Moated site at Court Farm
8.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hell Moat

Hell Moat stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Hell Moat

KenchesterRoman town · ~7.4 milesOffa's DykeArchaeological site · ~23.9 miles
Domesday entry for Woonton, Herefordshire →
All Scheduled Monuments