David Castleton (Author) on Nostr: After burial mounds, moats are the most common archaeological feature in the British ...

After burial mounds, moats are the most common archaeological feature in the British landscape. There are at least five-and-a-half thousand, not only surrounding castles, but also dug around manor houses, monasteries, farms, chapels and even windmills. Moats had several functions - defence, keeping out thieves, deterring wildlife, acting as firebreaks, and being status symbols. The country's deepest moat is said to be at Nunney, Somerset - folklore claims it is bottomless. #history #archaeology #psychogeography #folklore #weird #geography #landscape