Information for record number MWA1203:
Possible site of Watermill 600m N of Botley Hill Fm

Summary The possible site of a Medieval watermill 700m north east of Hobditch Coppice. Archaeological work uncovered ditches, possibly the remains of a watercourse associated with the mill. They contained Medieval pottery. Part of a sandstone millstone was also found.
What Is It?  
Type: Watermill, Mill, Millstone, Watercourse
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Tanworth in Arden
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 14 68
(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 A small excavation was undertaken on what was thought to be part of Hobditch. An area 4m by 11m was opened up. A number of ditches were found and Medieval pottery was recovered from all ditch layers. Part of a sandstone millstone was also found. From the pottery, phase 1 of the ditch would appear to have started in the late 12th century or early 13th century. The dating of Phase 2 is not certain, although it may be associated with some of the late 13th/early 14th century pottery. The period 1 ditch carried a fair quantity of water from the foot of Mows Hill to the river. A dam (PRN 1211) would have provided a sizeable head of water in this leat. Several mills are referred to from 1330 onwards on the River Alne and it is likely that this leat fed a watermill. In Period 2 the leat was allowed to silt and a bank was built up. This was probably part of a water control system.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: SAG
Author/originator: Perry J G
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 LAYER * An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument WATERCOURSE * A channel used for or formed by the conveyance of water. Can be natural, eg. a river or artificial eg. an aqueduct. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MILL * A factory used for processing raw materials. Use more specific mill type where known. See also TEXTILE MILL, for more narrow terms. back
monument FAIR * A site where a periodical gathering of buyers, sellers and entertainers, meet at a time ordained by charter or statute or by ancient custom. back
monument LEAT * Artificial water channel, usually leading to a mill. 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 COPPICE * A managed small wood or thicket of underwood grown to be periodically cut to encourage new growth providing smaller timber. back
monument WATERMILL * A mill whose machinery is driven by water. back
monument MILLSTONE * One of a pair of large circular stones used for grinding corn in a mill. back
monument DAM * A barrier of concrete or earth, etc, built across a river to create a reservoir of water for domestic and/or industrial usage. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record