Information for record number MWA1224:
Linear Earthwork at Camp Hill, Beaudesert.

Summary A linear earthwork, possibly dating to the Iron Age, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs. It is located 700m north east of Bird in Hand public house.
What Is It?  
Type: Linear Earthwork
Period: Iron Age (800 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Beaudesert
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 15 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 'Camp'.
2 Considered to be Roman.
3 The feature is situated on a hillside. It is completely devoid of any defensive qualities and is undoubtedly a quarry.
4 The idea that this is a quarry is a misconception. There is a short but distinctive stretch of bank about 2-2.5m high from the bottom of the ditch among the trees that partly cover the site.
6 A length of linear ditch visible on the RAF air photograph curves around on the east side of the hill from about SP1668 to SP1568. This does not appear to be following the contours of the hill top. It is possible that this is part of a linear ditch system associated with the Hob ditch complex to the N, or a hollow way on the course of Edge Lane (PRN 1225).
7 Field survey form from 1972 at SP16206830, which is 250m SE of this site.
8 Examination of lidar imagery after a question from A. Stocks showed that there actually is an enclosure on Camp Hill. It shows as a faint single bank on the north side, running across the modern golf course and matrches the stretch of cropmark (on the NE) that shows on the 1945 RAF photos and is noted by Hingley in
6. This is not a hollow way or part of a Hob's ditch type system. The western and southern part of the enclosure are partially in woodland and seem to survive as a larger bank along the top of the slope. The site can be seen (on Google Earth) to sit on the highest point of the hill. It seems most likely that it represents and Iron Age univallate hillfort.
 
Sources
Source No: 5
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP17SW
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1948
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 42-17SW
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Forest of Arden
Author/originator: Hannett J
Date: 1894
Page Number: 8
Volume/Sheet: Forest of Arden
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Map
Title: Map 1906
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1906
Page Number: 51SE
Volume/Sheet: 10560
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: Camp Hill, Beaudesert
Author/originator: Manby, C.B.
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: PJA
Date: 1979
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1234
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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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 Field Survey The term ‘field survey’ is used to describe all work that does not disturb archaeological deposits below the ground through an excavation. Field survey techniques involve recording measurements that help archaeologists draw plans or diagrams of archaeological features. There are a variety of different field survey techniques, including geophysical survey, building recording survey, field walking survey, landscape survey and earthwork survey. 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 Cropmark Cropmarks appear as light and dark marks in growing and ripening crops. These marks relate to differences in the soil below. For example, parched lines of grass may indicate stone walls. Crops that grow over stone features often ripen more quickly and are shorter than the surrounding crop. This is because there is less moisture in the soil where the wall lies.

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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 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 Iron Age About 800 BC to 43 AD

The Iron Age comes after the Bronze Age and before the Roman period. It is a time when people developed the skills and knowledge to work and use iron, hence the name ‘Iron Age’ which is given to this period. Iron is a much tougher and more durable metal than bronze but it also requires more skill to make objects from it. People continued to use bronze during this period.
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period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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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.
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monument GOLF COURSE * A prepared area of ground used to play the game of golf on. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument UNIVALLATE HILLFORT * A hilltop enclosure bounded by a single rampart, usually accompanied by a ditch. 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 LINEAR EARTHWORK * A substantial bank and ditch forming a major boundary between two adjacent landholdings. Most date from the late Bronze Age and Iron Age. 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 PUBLIC HOUSE * The public house was a 19th century development, distinctive from the earlier BEER HOUSE by its decorative treatment and fittings. back
monument QUARRY * An excavation from which stone for building and other functions, is obtained by cutting, blasting, etc. back
monument STOCKS * An instrument of punishment, in which the offender was placed in a sitting position in a timber frame, with holes to confine the ankles and wrists between two planks. back
monument FOREST * A large tract of land covered with trees and interspersed with open areas of land. Traditionally forests were owned by the monarchy and had their own laws. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument HOLLOW WAY * A way, path or road through a cutting. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record