Lee Barton

In the civil parish of Morwenstow. In the historic county of Cornwall (Modern Authority of Cornwall, 1974 county of Cornwall).

Fragments of a possible moat also survive at Lee in Morwenstow. (Preston-Jones and Peter p173)
Lea, on the site of which is now a mean farm-house, belonging to Lord Carteret, is described by Norden as a seat of the Copplestones: the last trace we find of the family, in this parish, is the burial of John Copplestone, Esq., in 1611. (Lysons)
At SS 23101228 is a large flattish area, roughly rectangular, bounded on the west by a break or 'step' in the ground, which may have been the site of a mansion though there is no positively identifiable building platform. At 23131227 is a deep, moat-like feature which, however, shows no traces of having extended beyond its present limits, 50.0m long on the east and 30.0m long on the north side. It is 14.0m wide and 3.7m deep at its maximum. (PastScape)
The partial moat is on the side of the probably building which faces the road from Kilkhampton. Although the site is fairly level it sits of a ridge and building a complete moat would have been a difficult project and, if intended to be water filled, the source of water is not obvious. The moat feature lies below the house platform and may just be on the springline. The rest of the site seems to be above the springline. The conclusion is that this is a water feature for show rather than a defence, although that is probably true for almost all moated sites. The modern Lee Barton is at the back of the house site and, presumably, start out as farm buildings.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SS23101228

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 32247
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website, or elsewhere.

• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p47 [slight]
    Lysons, D. and S., 1814, Magna Britannia Vol3 Cornwall p243 [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50647]
• Journal Articles
  • Preston-Jones, Ann and Rose, Peter, 1986, 'Medieval Cornwall' Cornish Archaeology Vol25 p135-185 http://www.cornisharchaeology.org.uk/documents/CA25-5s2.pdf