Moated site, Brocorrow, Co. Wexford
Hidden in a quiet valley in Brocorrow, County Wexford, lies an intriguing medieval mystery that's only visible from above.
Moated site, Brocorrow, Co. Wexford
This potential moated site sits in a southwest to northeast valley, with a stream flowing roughly 50 metres to the north. While you won’t spot anything unusual walking through the pasture today, aerial photographs reveal a distinctive subrectangular cropmark measuring approximately 40 by 40 metres; a ghostly outline of what may have been a significant medieval settlement.
The site first caught archaeologists’ attention through vertical aerial photographs taken by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSIAP S 379/378), where the rectangular feature stands out clearly against the surrounding landscape. More recent aerial surveys from 2000 by the Ordnance Survey Ireland show the same cropmark, though somewhat fainter. These marks in the crops occur when buried archaeological features affect plant growth, creating patterns that are invisible at ground level but unmistakable from the air.
If this is indeed a moated site, it would represent a type of medieval settlement particularly popular in Ireland between the 13th and 14th centuries. These sites typically consisted of a farmstead or manor house surrounded by a water-filled ditch, providing both drainage and a degree of security for their inhabitants. The square proportions and size of the Brocorrow feature certainly fit the profile of such sites, though only proper archaeological investigation could confirm its true nature and date.





