More information : [SE 4290 8232] Moat [GT]. (1)
In a meadow near the bridge in Millgate bearing E.N.E. of the
church is an encampment consisting of a foss and vallum with an
agger or tumulus at one of the angles. It is not more than 130 ft.
square. (2)
It appears to be too small for a camp and may have been the site of
a moated building connected with the castle, as a road passed from
it to the castle(a). (3)
This moated enclosure is situated within a small pasture field
and has been resurveyed at 1/2500. The site constitutes the remains
of a simple homestead moat with a central hold ditched on four
sides and a well defined causeway crossing its NE arm. No building
foundations are visible within the enclosure. The moat is now dry,
but appears to have been formerly fed by a diversion of the Cod Beck
through the N.W. corner.
Situated at this corner and outside the moat is a large circular
flat mound about 0.5 m in height. This mound appears to have been
either constructed from excavated material from the site or later
clearings of the moat, probably the latter. No visual evidence of
a road, referred to by authority 3, can now be seen. (4)
SE 4290 8231. A moated site 100m east of St Mary Magdalene's Church.
Scheduled RSM No 20532. The monument includes a moated site and an
adjacent building platform located on a bend of the Cod Beck between
Old and New Thirsk. The area to the S has recently been developed as
a car park but old maps show that the moat originally lay at the N
end of a small island, having the river to its N and E and marshy
land to the S and W. There is evidence that a medieval water mill was
located in the immediate vicinity. The moated island is 20m square,
surrounded by a ditch 1.5m deep by 12m wide with an outer bank up to
10m wide by 1m high on its NW, NE and SE arms. A causeway crosses the
mid point of the NE arm. Adjacent to the SW arm of the moat is a 1.5m
high platform, 30m by 25m across at its base, now occupied by two
small modern brick sheds; this is an unusual feature which was
constructed from material excavated from the moat to provide a flood
free platform for a medieval building associated with but outlying
the moat. A small scale excavation on the site undertaken at
Whitsuntide in 1966 recovered some flints and sherds of pottery. (5)
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