Information for record number MWA570:
Studley Old Castle

Summary The site of Studley Old Castle, a motte and bailey Castle dating to the Medieval period. The motte is still visible as an earthwork. The site is located to the north of St. Mary's Church.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle, Motte And Bailey, Earthwork
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Studley
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 08 63
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 In the Conqueror's time the greatest part of Studley was possessed by William Fiz Corbuciones where he or some of his descendants had a castle, the ruins thereof is evident.
2 The site of the castle is marked by a circular rampart and ditch N of Studley Church. Of its architectural history nothing is known, though some ruins of it were still standing in Dugdale's time.
3 Whether it was William or one of his two sons who erected the castle it was of considerable importance. It would seem most likely that it was of a motte and bailey type with presumably later buildings in stone erected within the bailey, but it may have been a square stone keep; Dugdale's 'ruines' plainly indicate substantial masonry. The present building stands on the E of an artificially made platform, approximately circular in shape with no definite ditch except on the side next to the road where it is about 0.7m deep with a steep bank up to the platform, which at its N end is about 0.33m high. This is known locally as 'The Mound'; there is no sign of this being the site of the motte but it is where it might be expected. It is surmised that at some time in the 18th century the owner of the timber framed house rearranged his garden and levelled the motte and bailey enclosure bank, filling in the moat on all sides but that facing the road and removed or buried the stone foundations and thus formed the present platform.
4 The remains of a castle Mound attaining a maximum height of 5m. Modern 'improvements' have destroyed half of the original Mound and neither ditch nor bailey can now be traced.
5 The castle could have been built around 1135-40 at a time before the break-up of the Corbucion estate. Although Dugdale notes castle ruins the site now consists of a roughly circular moated platform with a deep ditch on the W and and the line of the ditch visible on the S. The house, which is 16th century and later, stands towards the rear of the circular platform. The moat remains in good condition, although dry. A trial trench through the rampart in 1967 produced mid 12th century to mid 13th century pottery and a second ditch, concentric with the moat.
6 Studley Old castle, designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument from 17th July 1995. Documentary sources indicate that fragments of standing Medieval masonry still stood at the site during the mid-17th century.
8
9 Part of the bailey may also survive to the north-east, as shown on lidar images.
10 Studley castle was constructed as a motte and baliey castle before later being rebuilt. It is possible that the castle only had a short life.
 
Sources
Source No: 10
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: Antiq of Warwickshire
Author/originator: W Dugdale
Date: 1730
Page Number: 741
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
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: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Studley Parish Survey
Author/originator: Hooke D
Date: 1980
Page Number: 54-5
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Studley Old Castle
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: LIDAR
Title: Environment Agency LIDAR (2008)
Author/originator: Environment Agency
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 67
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 67
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Studley Old Castle
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Personal communication - Bryn Gethin
Author/originator: Gethin B
Date: 2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Studley Castle on the 1886 Ordnance Survey map
Copyright: Open
Date: 1886
Click here for larger image  
 
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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 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 Trial Trench A small regular hole that is usually square or rectangular in shape. Archaeologists dig trial trenches to discover if there are any archaeological remains at a particular location. See also excavation. back
period Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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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period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
more -> 		back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument KEEP * The major tower of a fortification, often acting as its last defence. 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 ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument MOTTE AND BAILEY * An early form of castle consisting of a flat-top steep-sided earthen mound, supporting a wooden tower, and a bailey. 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 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 SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CIRCULAR PLATFORM * A levelled area of ground, circular in shape, used as the base on which a monument was built.Sometimes raised, a platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a monument. back
monument SIGN * A board, wall painting or other structure displaying advice, giving information or directions 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 TIMBER FRAMED HOUSE * A house constructed with a basic timber framework; between the members are panels which can be infilled with timber, wattle and daub, plaster, brick or other materials. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more 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