Information for record number MWA1092:
Medieval Mound 200m N of Alderhanger Wood

Summary The site of a mound, possibly part of a moated site, dating to the Medieval period. It is visible as an earthwork and is located 200 north of Alderhanger wood.
What Is It?  
Type: Mound
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 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
Picture(s) attached

 
Description

 
Source Number  

2 Mound, situated in a stream valley at the foot of a gradual SE facing slope. Overall diameter 38m; maximum height 4.2m. The near-circular level summit is 18m in diameter. On the W side there is a ditch with an average depth of 2m. The Mound has probably been partly constructed with material from the ditch. It is under grass and in an excellent state of preservation apart from some slumping on the SE side. Discovered during field investigation and surveyed at 1:2500. Although clearly of Medieval date the Mound is difficult to classify. Its slopes are less steep than one would expect and its situation, overlooked by higher ground to the NW, is not typical. The existing road which crosses the valley just E of the Mound runs on a considerable embankment which could have retained a large pond or lake. However it appears that at the present height of the embankment the water level could not have been high enough to flood the ditch on the W side of the Mound and it is therefore unlikely to have been an island of the type which often occurs in Medieval fishponds. In any case the depth of water would be unusually great for a Medieval fishpond. It is possible that it was a form of moated site with water on the E and a dry ditch on the W but the habitable area would be small and its shape is not typical. However it is comparable in situation with two other sites. The first is a small roughly circular moated site on the edge of Tony Park, Staffordshire (SJ8106) which, however, is much lower (about 1m high). The other is described by Aston and Monton (SP07SW4) as a flat platform on the valley side, almost completely moated, which they thought might have been a Medieval grange or a place of recreation for the abbots of Bordesley. Unfortunately this site has now been destroyed and no direct comparisons can be made. The only historical reference found which may apply to this Mound is a mention of a manor house and Park in the manor of Aspley in the 13th century which appears to be unlocated.
4 The Mound is still in a good state of preservation.
5 Photograph on record card.
6 During 1990-92 a proposed pipeline was re-routed to avoid the earth Mound. Archaeological observations of the actual route did not identify features or finds of interest.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: The Story of Tanworth in Arden
Author/originator: Burman J
Date: 1930
Page Number: 120-1
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Birmingham Airport Link
Author/originator: Wessex Archaeology
Date: 1992
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Photograph
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: PJA
Date: 1979
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 805
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: OS Card, 16NE18
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 16NE18
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NW3
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NW3
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: PJA
Date: 1979
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1234
   
Images:  
A mound of unknown purpose, Tanworth in Arden
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1979
Click here for larger image  
 
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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
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.
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.
more ->
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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. back
monument LAKE * A large body of water surrounded by land. back
monument MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. 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 PLATFORM * Unspecified. 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 WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. 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 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 ISLAND * A piece of land, sometimes man-made, completely surrounded by water. back
monument CROSS * A free-standing structure, in the form of a cross (+), symbolizing the structure on which Jesus Christ was crucified and sacred to the Christian faith. Use specific type where known. back
monument STREAM * A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source. 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 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