Court Moat Eglwyswrw

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House, and also as a Possible Palace (Bishop)

There are earthwork remains

NameCourt Moat Eglwyswrw
Alternative Names
Historic CountryPembrokeshire
Modern AuthorityPembrokeshire
1974 AuthorityDyfed
CommunityEglwyswrw

Three sides of a rock-cut moat remain of a mansion of the bishops of St David's. (Coflein)

Nothing except the moat remains of the manor house of the lordship of Eglwyswrw, the mansion house of Bishop David Martin (1293 – 1328) “being Lord thereof” as George Owen writes “ A house both of account and strength; for I have seen there huge walls and rooms of great breadth, all environed with a strong and deep moat digged out of the main rock, fed with a fresh spring rising in the same and all the greens thereabout growne with chamomile” (Fenton Tour 532.)

The site, now part of the modern farmhouse of Court is about 30yds by 20yds; it is surrounded on its north east and west side by the remains of a moat 15ft wide, which (on the east) is cut through rock. Here it is seen at its best, the remaining parts being overgrown and largely filled in with soil. (RCAHMW 1925)

The monument comprises the remains of a well-preserved medieval moated homestead. It consists of an platform c 45m square surrounded by a flat bottomed rock cut ditch c 6m in width and 1m deep partly filled in on the south. It may be set within the remains of an enclosure as there is a bank on the north with a maximum height of c 1.5m, and another on the west in use as a hedge bank. (Scheduling Report)

Gatehouse Comments

Called a homestead moat in the RCAHMW Inventory but seemingly a manor house, although a manor and 'lordship' created to honour David Martin. The description in by George Owen may rather aggrandise the house for hagiographic effect. However a rock cut ditch is a sign of strength, even if it was probably mainly cut as a quarry for the house stone. The personal house of bishop Martin, rather than an episcopal palace.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSN135394
Latitude52.022029876709
Longitude-4.71802997589111
Eastings213530
Northings239410
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Spurgeon, C.J., 1981, Medieval Moated Sites in NW Europe
  • Rees, Wm, 1932, Map of South Wales and the Border in the 14th century (Ordnance Survey) (A handbook to the map was published in 1933)
  • RCAHMW, 1925, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Pembrokeshire (HMSO) p. 93 no. 236 online copy
  • Laws, E. and Owen, H., 1908, Archaeological Survey of Pembrokeshire 1896-1907 (Tenby) p.
  • Fenton, R., 1811, A historical tour through Pembrokeshire (Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & co.) p. 532 online copy

Journals

  • Spurgeon, C.J., 1978, 'Medieval moated sites in Wales: present knowledge and future prospect' Archaeology in Wales Vol. 18 p. 18-29