Monument record BSC 002 - Remains of a Medieval homestead moat in an area of woodland and dense scrub.

On the E of St Clare's Church 1.5 miles E of Bradfield Combust, is a curiously irregular moat, the E side is straight and narrow, but the S and W sides broaden in places to 30 feet and 60 feet (S1).
The remains of a homestead moat, in an area of woodland and dense scrub. The W arm is waterfilled about 50m long and circa 7m wide, with a probable original earthen causeway entrance. The S arm is waterfilled, about 35m long and circa 6m wide. The E arm, mostly dry and circa 1.5m deep, apparently extends for 80m before merging into a drainage ditch at the N end. There is no trace of a possible N arm, and no evidence of a structure within the enclosed area (S4).
About 200m E of church (S5).
Originally owned by St John's College, Cambs, may have been site of C19 (& earlier) vicarage (S6).
The OS 1 inch map of 1837 definitely shows at least two largeish buildings in the area of the moat. Tithe or other detailed earlier maps need checking.
The 1880s 1:2500 OS map shows buildings outside and to the west of the possible causeway (further buildings are shown in the adjoining field to the south). The moat appears similar to todays OS depiction except for the east arm, which is shown as an elongated triangle up to the droveway further to the north, and a narrow ditch forming a N side to the moat (a possible remnant of the N arm) enclosing a sub-rectangular area of approx 50 by 20m. The buildings were no longer shown on the 1900s OS map.