Nothing is known of the origins of Camlet Moat.

The first probable occupant was Richard Pounz, Keeper of the Chase in the 1320s. In 1429 the lodge was demolished and the materials sold to help pay for repairs to Hertford Castle.

The name Camlet remains a mystery. It first appears in local records in 1440 AD.

The moat was originally crossed by a wooden drawbridge, the base frame of which was lifted in 1923 and recorded in 1949. A small piece found recently was dendro-chronologically dated to c.1357.

The moat’s main use was probably defensive. One use of the lodge would have been to detain individuals who had broken the harsh forest laws. The moat would also have helped to drain the site, been used for rubbish disposal and possibly for keeping fish.

The ghost of Geoffrey De Mandeville, Earl of Sussex and Hertfordshire and Constable of the Tower of London has been haunting the Moat since the 12th Century. He was arrested for treason and hid his treasure down  a very deep well which he guards. Many have tried to find the well but so far none have succedded