Moated site, Chapel, Co. Wexford
In the valley of a small northwest to southeast stream in County Wexford, aerial photographs from the 1980s reveal the distinctive outline of a medieval moated site.
Moated site, Chapel, Co. Wexford
This rectangular earthwork, measuring roughly 30 metres by 25 metres, appears on vertical aerial photographs as a grass-covered platform surrounded by what would have been water-filled defensive moats. The site sits about 500 metres north of where the stream joins the Aughnaglaur River, which flows from west to east through the landscape.
When surveyed in 1987, the moated site displayed several classic features of these medieval defensive structures. The moats themselves, ranging from 4 to 6 metres wide, were marked by noticeably lusher vegetation; a telltale sign of the deeper, moister soil where water once pooled. A leat, or artificial watercourse, can be traced from the western corner of the site, channelling water approximately 30 metres to the southwest where it connects with the stream. This would have kept the moats filled and functioning as both a defensive barrier and a status symbol for whoever occupied the site.
The entrance to this fortified homestead was strategically placed towards the eastern end of the northeast moat, where a 5-metre-wide causeway would have provided the only dry access across the water. These moated sites, common throughout medieval Ireland, typically housed the homes of Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families between the 13th and 17th centuries. They served as both practical defensive structures and visible statements of wealth and control over the surrounding landscape, with the water-filled moats protecting valuable livestock and crops as much as the inhabitants themselves.





