Archaeological investigations at Harding's Field, Chalgrove, revealed
the remains of one of the most complete examples of a moated medieval
manor yet excavated in England. Evidence of a pre-moat occupation dating
from the first half of the 13th century, which may not have been
seigneurial, was succeeded in the mid 13th century by the construction
of the moated manor house. The documentary evidence indicates that this
house belonged to the Barentins, a prominent Oxfordshire family. The
manor underwent considerable alterations and improvements during the
following 200 years, particularly during the early part of the 14th
century and, to a lesser extent, in the late 14th and early 15th
century. It passed out of the hands of the Barentin family shortly
before it was demolished in the late 15th century.