Information for record number MWA12445:
Roman activity at Hopkins Farm, Tysoe

Summary Two geophysical surveys in this area have identified evidence for probable Roman activity. The survey covering the northwest of the site indicated potential industrial activity whilst the survey to the south revealed enclosures and trackways. A large number of finds have been recovered from the site and as such the site has been dated to the Late Iron Age to Romano-British period.
What Is It?  
Type: Industrial Building, Grain Drier?, Findspot, Rectilinear Enclosure, Ring Ditch, Round House (Domestic), Pit, Post Built Structure, Trackway, Drove Road
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Tysoe
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 35 45
(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 number of anomalies were recorded during fluxgate gradiometer survey at Tysoe. These are suggested as evidence of industrial activity, possibly in the form of grain driers. This tallies with the large amounts of industrial material, largely Romano-British, picked up by Mr Wyles during fieldwalking at the site.
2 Portable Antiquities Scheme find provenance information: Date found: 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z Methods of discovery: fieldwalking
3 Analysis of Roman pottery from across these fields at Tysoe, both from the Portable Antiquities Scheme dataset and through fieldwalking carried out during 2009.
4 A geophysical survey in 2017 identified a 7.5 hectare area of enclosures to the south of the earlier geophysical survey. The enclosures are largely rectilinear and on a similar alignment. The complexity of the enclosure ditches suggests multiple phases on the site and numerous re-cutting of the ditches. Fragmentary ring ditches are likely to be associated with roundhouses. To the west of the survey area the ring ditches were within the core of the enclosures and probably served as structures surrounded by paddocks. To the east of the survey area the ring ditches were further away from the enclosures, however, pit like anomalies at the entrance termini would suggest and different function or status to these structures. A number of pit like anomalies are located within the enclosures and one group of small pits may relate to a post built structure. Some linear anomalies may represent a track or droveway extending north out of the site, with further track or droveways associated with the enclosures.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: A report on the geophysical surveys undertaken to investigate 'The Roman History of Tysoe'
Author/originator: Sabin D & Donaldson K
Date: 2018
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Ref No J705
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: A Fluxgate Gradiometer Survey near Lower Tysoe, Warwickshire
Author/originator: B Morton
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) Database
Author/originator: British Museum
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Information on Tysoe PAS Data from Richard Grove
Author/originator: Grove, R
Date: 2010
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image back
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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monument DROVE ROAD * A road or track specifically used by drovers or herders to drive their animals to market. back
monument PADDOCK * An enclosed field for horses. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 INDUSTRIAL BUILDING * Any building designed or adapted to accommodate trades and manufacturing activity. Use more specific site where known. back
monument FINDSPOT * The approximate location at which stray finds of artefacts were found. Index with object name. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument POST BUILT STRUCTURE * A structure indicated by the presence of post holes and of uncertain interpretation. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 RING DITCH * Circular or near circular ditches, usually seen as cropmarks. Use the term where the function is unknown. Ring ditches may be the remains of ploughed out round barrows, round houses, or of modern features such as searchlight emplacements. back
monument GRAIN DRIER * A building or room within a granary used to dry grain. Often consisting of an oven with a refractory-brick drying floor above, on which the grain was placed. 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 STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. back
monument TRACKWAY * A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers. back
monument DOMESTIC * This is the top term for the class. See DOMESTIC Class List for narrow terms. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record