Information for record number MWA1568:
Aston Cantlow Castle

Summary The site of Aston Cantlow Castle which dates from the Medieval period. It is known from documentary evidence. The ringwork, a defensive bank and ditch, is still visible as an earthwork. It is situated 100m north-west of Aston Cantlow church.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle, Ringwork, Earthwork
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Aston Cantlow
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 13 60
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Between the river and the village are the earthwork remains of a castle of the Cantilupes. It passed from them to the Hastings and is described in an extent of the manor in 1274, but by 1392 the castle and the barns and the granges belonging to it were in ruins and worth nothing. The earthworks lie close to the river and are roughly circular in shape, surrounded by a single ditch. There are also remains of ditches at the S end of the field towards the church. George Lewing about 1850 noted that the ground showed a causeway leading up to the church; the remains of stonework, apparently that of the drawbridge, still existed. A partial excavation in 1935 revealed, close to the surface, a foundation wall of local lias stone and fragments of pottery and roofing tiles.
2 This may have been an ordinary house rather than a castle. The Cantilupes would have had a manor house of some importance. Dugdale records a tradition of a castle S of the church. In 1932 an excavation was carried out N of the church where there is a well-defined moated enclosure, somewhat triangular in shape, and 58m across, and unearthed some foundations and Medieval pottery. The foundations suggest a house rather than a 13th century castle.
3 A major ring castle with double bailey. The earthworks show slight mutilation only and, in general, are well-preserved. Rectangular building foundations may be traced within the ring but are too slight to survey. The drawbridge could not be identified.
5 The earthworks are still in good condition. The earthworks E (?W) of the old railway line are still discernible despite having been planted with cabbages. The building foundations within the ring were evident and there was a concentration of stone in this area.
7 Dugdale's statement (reference
2) could indicate that the castle is actually PRN 1574.
10Lidar imagery clearly shows the castle earthworks. The roughly triangular 'ringwork' still contains remains of buried foundations with in particular the east side appearing to show earthworks of two straight sections of curtain wall meeting at an angle. An irregular bailey exists to the south-east and this and the 'ringwork' are surrounded by a wide ditch, presumably once water filled from the adjacent River Alne. A large attached enclosure to the north of the castle might be an outer bailey but might conceivably mark the earthwork banks to retain a small lake or large pond.
11 Aston Cantlow castle was constructed as a ringwork, opposed to a raised motte, and comprised initally of an oval shaped rampart and a moat. The castle is believed to have a deer park by 1272.
 
Sources
Source No: 6
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP1359/1360
Author/originator: NCC
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1359 E-G
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Symbols of Status in Medieval Warwickshire (1000-1500)
Author/originator: Hook D
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 117
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 3, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1945
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Ringwork Castle, Aston Cantlow
Author/originator: Hingley R
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Plan
Title: OS Card, 35NE5
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 35NE5
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 67
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 67
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Ringwork castle, 80m north of St John the Baptist' Church, Aston Cantlow.
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1998
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: SMW
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1726
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. back
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument RINGWORK * A defensive bank and ditch, circular or oval in plan, surrounding one or more buildings. back
monument GRANGE * An outlying farm or estate, usually belonging to a religious order or feudal lord. Specifically related to core buildings and structures associated with monastic land holding. Use specific term where known. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument LAKE * A large body of water surrounded by land. back
monument DEER PARK * A large park for keeping deer. In medieval times the prime purpose was for hunting. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument RAMPART * A protective earthen mound, often the main defence of a fortification. back
monument MOAT * A wide ditch surrounding a building, usually filled with water. Use for moated sites, not defensive moats. Use with relevant site type where known, eg. MANOR HOUSE, GARDEN, etc. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument CAUSEWAY * A road or pathway raised above surrounding low, wet or uneven ground. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back
monument MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument DRAWBRIDGE * A movable bridge lifted at one end by chains or ropes either to stop traffic passing over it or to let traffic pass under it. back
monument BARN * A building for the storage and processing of grain crops and for housing straw, farm equipment and occasionally livestock and their fodder. Use more specific type where known. back
monument BAILEY * The courtyard of a castle, ie. the area enclosed by the rampart or curtain. Use with wider site type where known. back
monument CURTAIN WALL * A wall between two towers or pavilions, usually surrounding a building, and often forming a major part of the defences. back
monument RAILWAY * A line or track consisting of iron or steel rails, on which passenger carriages or goods wagons are moved, usually by a locomotive engine. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument MOTTE * An artificial steep-sided earthen mound on, or in, which is set the principal tower of a castle. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record