Scheduled Monuments›England›Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks

Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks

England
List entry 1013519
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1013519
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.4 hectares
Grid reference
TL 00584 24873, TL 00390 24985
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Thorn Spring moated site is a medieval settlement monument located in Bedfordshire, comprising a moated enclosure with associated earthwork features including woodbanks. The moated site represents a form of high-status domestic settlement characteristic of the medieval period, with the water-filled or water-retaining ditch serving both defensive and status-indicating functions. The woodbanks associated with the moated area suggest land management practices and possible boundary demarcation contemporary with the main occupation of the site. The monument is scheduled as an ancient monument under the national heritage listing system, reflecting its archaeological and historical significance as evidence of medieval settlement patterns and land use in the region.

Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1013519. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks?

Thorn Spring moated site is a medieval settlement monument located in Bedfordshire, comprising a moated enclosure with associated earthwork features including woodbanks. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1013519.

Who is responsible for protecting Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks?

Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks 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 1013519.

What other scheduled monuments are near Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including A medieval warren on Dunstable Downs (4 km), Site of Roman villa E of church (4.5 km), Barn and fishpond and moated site with dovecote at Church Farm (6.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks'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

A medieval warren on Dunstable Downs
4 km
Site of Roman villa E of church
4.5 km
Barn and fishpond and moated site with dovecote at Church Farm
6.5 km
Butler's Manor moated site
7.7 km
Moated site 90m north east of Ashby Villas
8.5 km
Bowl barrow on Gallows Hill 180m south-east of Beacon Lodge
8.6 km
Bowl barrow on Ivinghoe Beacon Hill, 230m east of Ivinghoe Beacon trig pillar: part of the Beacon Hill round barrow cemetery
9.1 km
A slight univallate hillfort and bowl barrow on Ivinghoe Beacon Hill
9.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks

Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks stands on Grey Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Cenomanian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Thorn Spring moated site and associated woodbanks

St AlbansRoman town · ~13.6 milesTowcesterRoman town · ~24.4 milesBattle of Barnet 1471Battle (1471) · ~22.8 miles
Domesday entry for Houghton, Bedfordshire →
All Scheduled Monuments