Groundcare project – Piggy's Hollow

The Moat known as Piggy's Hollow.

Moats; What were they?
What remains toady?
Most sites referred to by archaeologist as ‘moat' only survive as a moat, or ditch surrounding an island.
The ditches are relatively wide, normally between 3m and 6m. Excavated examples show that they were usually U-shaped in cross section and about 2m deep and most once contained water. The majority are no longer wet and there was often a dam across one end to retain the water.
Moat islands are usually quite small, most are less than 0.25ha in area. In many cases the island is completely isolated by the moat, although some have causeways across the moat. Moats without causeways must have had some kind of bridge to allow access to the island.

What were they like when in use?
When moats were active the focus of that activity was the island. Here there would have been a complex of buildings. Sometimes the buildings would have been of stone, more often they would have been made of timber, or a mixture of timber and stone. At least one of the buildings would have been a dwelling. This would have been the open hall occupied by the owner of the moat, probably with private rooms for the owner at one end and with a separate kitchen set apart from the hall (a precaution against fire). Often there would be agricultural structures (barns, dovecotes, etc.) and sometimes there was also a chapel, and perhaps a gatehouse, guarding the approach across the moat.
Sometimes this complex would have taken the form of four ranges around a central courtyard. The outer walls of the ranges of buildings lie along the edge of the island, giving the site something of the appearance of a castle. In other cases the structures are arranged in a less formal plan, as buildings courtyards and perhaps gardens.
When they were in use the moats were almost always filled with water. Many moats were clay lined and with timber or stone sides, and it was fairly common for one or more arms of the moat to be broadened out into a fishpond/s, fish being an important element of a wealthy man's diet, especially as the Church prohibited the eating of meat on Fridays.

When were they built?
The fashion for building moats began in the mid-late 12th century. The peak of moat building was between about 1250 and 1350. Moats then gradually fell from favour but some were being constructed as late as the early 1500s.

Who lived there?
Moats were occupied by the more wealthy elements of mediaeval society. The relative size of the moat is a good clue as to who had them built; the larger they were, the more wealthy and powerful their owner probably was.

Why where they built?
Moats were constructed more to impress, as symbols as wealth and power, than as defensive works for military might. Moats may have been able to resist an assault by the local peasants but they would not have withstood a determined military force for any length of time.

Piggy's Hollows.

The Earthworks.
The surviving earthworks consist of an island approximately 65m x 25m (0.16ha.) with a moat that runs on the northwest, north, east and west sides of the island. Much of the western arm of the moat has been widened out to form a series of fishponds, and there also evidence for additional fishponds to the south.
The presence of fishponds is a sure indicator that the moat was originally filled with water. Closer examination reveals that there is a small stream that flows into the site from the north and that there may also be a spring in the northeast corner. The ground falls gently away to the south, so there is a main dam on the southern side of the moat and a series of smaller dams, running east-west within the fishponds.

The Island.
There are very few clues on the ground as to what happened on the island. Only the odd stone poking up from below the surface suggests that there might have been any structures on the island.

Archaeological Evidence.
Very little evidence has been uncovered by excavation. The only excavation of which we are aware took place in the 1970s. This was a very small trench a couple of metres long and less than a metre wide, which was excavated to the north of the island. The discovery of masses of slate, and traces of mortar and worked sandstone confirmed the presence of mediaeval buildings, but tell us nothing of what they were.

Documentary Evidence.
Fortunately there are many documents that cast light on who owned the site and what buildings might have stood on the island.

Ownership:
- The Domesday Survey of 1086 tells us that at that time Evington was held by the baron who held Leicester castle (who subsequently became the Earls of Leicester).
- A document of 1239 informs us that Richard de Grey has acquired the manor of Evington, as a tenant of the Earl. Later documents reveal that the Grey family held the manor until 1491, when the manor passed to Sir William Stanley.
- A will of 1309 provides clear evidence that one of the Grey family, probably either Richard's son, John de Grey, or else his son, Henry, built the moat in the 1200s as the site of the manor house.

What Stood on the Island?
We may never know what buildings stood on the island, as that would require a large scale excavation. The will of 1309, however, does cast some light on the issue. It lists the property of the late lord of the manor, Henry de Grey. Amongst other things it lists a manor house, two ponds and a dovehouse.

The Location.
Finally something should be said about the location of Piggy's Hollows. The location is similar to many moats across the country; in close proximity to the parish church and the village. In this case the parish church of St Denys lies just to the east of the moat and the original core of the historic village lay next to the church. A deerpark, which is also mentioned in Henry's will, lay to the west, forming the basis of the modern golf course. It is interesting to note that the earliest fabric in the church dates from around the same time as the moat was constructed, revealing how strong the links were between the mediaeval aristocracy and the church.