A Moated Mound at Abingdon, Berks.

Extract

About 80 yds. to the north-east of an old house known as ‘Fitzharry's’ on the northern outskirts of the town of Abingdon is an early Norman moated mound in a good state of preservation. The mound is formed by the upcast of the encircling ditch and is covered with trees; it is roughly circular in shape, the axis from north to south measuring about 78 ft. and from west to east about 68 ft. At present the mound stands up about 10 ft. above the ordinary water-level. The moat is still (except in times of drought) filled with water supplied by an adjacent streamlet, an arm of which formerly appears to have entered the moat on the northern side. This entrance has since partly silted up but is plainly discernible. After flowing through the moat, the water rejoined the original stream at the south-east corner. The exit and the intake form at present only one channel. Originally there were separate channels. The mound and moat duly appear on the Ordnance Survey plans of 1875, and to the east is a tongue of land which may have served as a rudimentary bailey; in its present state it is roughly pear-shaped and much smaller than most of the known examples of the Norman bailey. On the further face of this tongue the streamlet surrounding it widens out considerably. Originally both the mound and the tongue were entirely enclosed by water, which, pursuing its course, descended through the town and fell into the Thames at Abingdon Bridge. On its way the streamlet served till recent times as a parish boundary.