Information for record number MWA12389:
Rectangular and penanular crop marks in Barton on the Heath parish

Summary A group of four penanular crop marks, one of which is partially enclosed by a rectilinear feature, can be seen on aerial photographs taken in July 1996.
What Is It?  
Type: Hut Circle Settlement, Rectilinear Enclosure, Settlement
Period: Early Iron Age - Iron Age (800 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Barton on the Heath
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 25 32
(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 Cropmarks in a field 150m north of New Barn, Barton on the Heath were mapped as part of the English Heritage National Mapping Project. There are five Cropmarks in close proximity, four subcircular and one rectilinear. The southern most of the subcircular Cropmarks is partially bounded by the rectilinear feature. The diameter of the subcular features ranges from about 13m to nearly 18m and the three well defined examples all have breaks in their north eastern segment. The fourth circle is more diffuse than the others and has two large gaps in its circumference. The field was covered by medieval ridge and furrow ploughing when photographed in 1947. Subsequent mechanised ploughing has levelled the rig to expose the underlying prehistoric features below.
2 The circular Cropmarks are likely to be hut circles with entrances facing north east. Combined with the rectilinear enclosure ditch they appear to form a typical Iron Age settlement.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP2532/C
Author/originator: NMR
Date: 17 July 1996
Page Number: 3
Volume/Sheet: SP2532
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers Com
Author/originator: Laurence Chadd
Date: 2007
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 Prehistoric About 500,000 BC to 42 AD

The Prehistoric period covers all the periods from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age.
This is a time when people did not write anything down so there is no documentary evidence for archaeologists to look at. Instead, the archaeologists look at the material culture belonging to the people and the places where they lived for clues about their way of life.

The Prehistoric period is divided into the Early Prehistoric and Later Prehistoric.
The Early Prehistoric period covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.
The Later Prehistoric period covers Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times.
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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 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 SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument RECTILINEAR ENCLOSURE * A monument consisting of an area of land enclosed by a ditch, bank, wall, palisade or similar barrier, where the barrier consists of several straight or near straight sections. back
monument HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT * A settlement consisting of several hut circles, either grouped together or dispersed. Characteristic of the later prehistoric period. Use specific forms where supported by the available evidence. For isolated hut circles use HUT CIRCLE. back
monument RIDGE AND FURROW * A series of long, raised ridges separated by ditches used to prepare the ground for arable cultivation. This was a technique, characteristic of the medieval period. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 HUT CIRCLE * A round house indicated by the presence of a low, roughly circular bank of turf, earth or stone, which formed the base of the walls. Characteristic of the later prehistoric period. Where several occur together use HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT. back
monument BARN * A building for the storage and processing of grain crops and for housing straw, farm equipment and occasionally livestock and their fodder. Use more specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record