Information for record number MWA1091:
Fishpond to N of Blind Lane

Summary The site of a possible fishpond, used for breeding and storing fish. Its date is uncertain but is probably Medieval or Post Medieval.. It was marked on a Tithe Award map of 1843, but is no longer visible as an earthwork. It is situated 200m north of Alderhanger Wood, Tanworth.
What Is It?  
Type: Fishpond
Period: Medieval - Post-Medieval (1066 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Tanworth in Arden
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 10 70
(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: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Earthworks either side of the River Alne indicate that there was once a large pool here. A map of 1843 records the field to the N of the river as 'Little Pike Meadow' and that to the S as 'Big Pike Meadow', and this suggests that the Earthworks are those of fishponds. However, the steep retaining banks on the NW and SW would mean that the depth of water was unusually great for a Medieval fishpond. The existing road runs along a high embankment on the SW side of the pool. Nothing remains of a retaining bank on the E. The area is now dry, but is permanently marshy during winter months.
2 Map.
3 Archaeological observations during construction of the Birmingham Airport Link (pipeline), did not identify any archaeological features.
 
Sources

Source No: 2
Source Type: Map
Title: Tithe Award Map
Author/originator:
Date: 1843
Page Number: DR 156:8
Volume/Sheet: Ashow
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Birmingham Airport Link
Author/originator: Wessex Archaeology
Date: 1992
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: PJA
Date: 1979
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1234
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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
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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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 Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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monument POOL * A small body of water, either natural or artificial. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument ARCHAEOLOGICAL FEATURE * Use only for features assumed to be archaeological but which cannot be identified more precisely without further investigation .Use more specific term where known back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. back
monument EMBANKMENT * A long ridge of earth, rocks or gravel primarily constructed to carry a roadway. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. back
monument MARSH * A low lying area of land that is usually waterlogged at all times and is flooded in wet weather. back
monument PIPELINE * A conduit or pipes, used primarily for conveying petroleum from oil wells to a refinery, or for supplying water to a town or district, etc. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument AIRPORT * A site, including an airfield and customs house, where air passengers embark and disembark. 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