More information : [NY 6155 6556] Moated Mound [NR] (1)
A much destroyed mound in a circular or oval ditch, about 14 yds in diameter. (2)
Situated on a gentle N slope the work consists of a sub-rectangular platform, circa 10.0m x 9.0m raised on the N side to a height of 1.2m to make it near-level. This is surrounded by a denuded sub-rectangular banked enclosure, circa 25.0m x 30.0m overall, scooped to a depth of 1.4m on the S side, where an original entrance occurs, with an internal ditch on the W, N and E sides, which attains a maximum depth of 1.0m. Topographically the ditch is an impracticable moat, while the platform is too small to support anything larger than a tower, and the whole possibly represents an earlier site of the vicar's peel 50.0m to the SE, (NY 66 NW 5).
Resurveyed at 1:2500. (3)
Scheduled as a Medieval moated site. (4)
Possibly not a fortified site because on too steep a site. The suggestion that it may be a vicar's pele may be more appropriate. (5)
The earthwork remains of the small moated enclosure described by the previous authorities was seen at NY 6154 6556 and mapped from historical aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hadrian's Wall NMP project. The earthwork remains of a hollow way leading into the site from the north and extending to the south for a short distance were also mapped. (6)
The small 'moated site' is visible as earthworks on air photographs and digital elevation models derived from Environment Agency lidar and Structure from Motion taken from 2017 specialist oblique photography. The site was also assessed on the ground by Historic England as part of the English Heritage Trust's 'Hadrian's Wall: Birdoswald Sector Survey'.
The 'moat' is defined by a broad and deep ditched roughly-rectangular enclosure surrounding a platform measuring 14 metres by 9 metres. A fragmentary outer bank is visible as well as a shallow hollow way to the south-east, which leads to an entrance on this side. There are no signs of internal features. The feature is located on a slope, and clearly never held water, nor does it appear defensive, due to its location and the bank being external to the ditch. As suggested above, it might be the site of a predecessor to the bastle 32 metres to the south-east (13960).
A short sinuous bank to the immediate east might be the remnants of associated activity, or simply a later field boundary.
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