Information for record number MWA5268:
Whichford Castle

Summary The site of Whichford Castle, a Medieval Castle or manor which has been partially excavated. The site is located 300m west of the church at Whichford.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle, Earthwork
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Whichford
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 30 34
(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 Information on a manorial history exists.
2 Traces of the outlines of stone buildings grouped around the interior of the enclosure can be seen.
3 Whichford was a manor of the Mohun family. It has been suggested that Dunster in Somerset was the principal residence and that Whichford was occupied by a younger member of the household. Nevertheless, excavations have revealed strong and elaborate buildings of stone, with such refinements as painted glass in the windows and fine quality pottery. The buildings may pre-date the moat and curtain wall (see PRN 2342). At present only four rooms on the W half of the site have been excavated. The principal one, obviously the hall, originally had a stone central hearth and mud floor, and must have been constructed in the first quarter of the 13th century. Later a rubble and mortar floor was laid, with a fireplace in the S wall. The purposes of other rooms have not yet been identified. stone-lined drains are found inside and outside the buildings.
4 Three sherds of a polychrome jug found during the excavation. This pottery was imported from France and has been found on 27 sites in Britain.
5 Finds held in Warwick Museum include pottery, bird roof-finial, two silver pennies, two brass counters, a bone gaming-dice, and a 12th century or 13th century iron arrowhead.
6 The moat is at present used as a dump for old cars and a piggery. Disturbance is evident on the island and outside the N entrance but it is entirely amorphous.
9 Aerial photographs.
10 The earthworks and ditches, including those to the north of the site which do not appear on Ordinance Survey maps were mapped from Aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage National Mapping Project
 
Sources
Source No: 10
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: CPE UK 1929 Frame 1299
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 16 Jan 1947
Page Number: Frame 1299
Volume/Sheet: CPE UK 1929
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title:
Author/originator: J Pickering
Date: 1962
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP4489 C/D/E/X
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Moated Sites Research Group
Author/originator: IRM
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Card
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Bibliographic reference
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Bibliographic reference
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 63
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1940
Page Number: 63-4
Volume/Sheet: 63
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Whichford Castle
Author/originator: Jones T L
Date: 1954
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
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Source No: 8
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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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 SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. 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 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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technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. back
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 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument DRAIN * An artificial channel for draining water or carrying it off. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. 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 PIGGERY * A place where pigs are reared. back
monument HEARTH * The slab or place on which a fire is made. back
monument MUSEUM * A building, group of buildings or space within a building, where objects of value such as works of art, antiquities, scientific specimens, or other artefacts are housed and displayed. 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 ISLAND * A piece of land, sometimes man-made, completely surrounded by water. 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 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

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record