Information for record number MWA1278:
Possible undated enclosure, Alderminster

Summary The possible site of an Iron Age hillfort. A large enclosure is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs. It is situated on the west side of Boundary Covert. An alternative interpretation of these cropmarks is that they are natural features.
What Is It?  
Type: Hillfort, Enclosure
Period: Iron Age (800 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alderminster
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 25 49
(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 Possible hillfort. A large oval enclosure. Visited by Thomas. Slight traces of an earthwork survive around the NW quarter.
3 Air photographs indicate a possible enclosure of about 13 ha. The enclosure is well defined on the N and SW. Photographs may indicate a bank with an external ditch. To the NE, E and SE the rampart is not clearly defined, although it roughly coincides with the boundary of boundary Covert on the SE. If a rampart existed on the E it must have been very severely damaged. Alternatively the marks could be geological, caused by the outcroppings of a different layer of strata.
4 The whole W half of the enclosure was visible as a break of slope following the contour. The E half was not visible. On the SE it runs under woodland, to the NE under a field of crop.
5 No trace of ramparts were evident on the N, W, S or SE of the hill. To the W a drainage ditch has been cut alongside a track from the hill top to Knavenhill Farm. This drainage ditch should have cut the rampart, but there is no trace of a bank or ditch.
6 In a commanding position with downhill slopes to the E, S and W. It would seem that the site is probably not a hillfort. It is remotely possible that the drainage ditch could have been cut through a hillfort entrance, but a geological origin for the cropmarks seems more likely.
7 Reported as above.
8 Some elements of the western half of a ?rampart may be visible on modern satellite imagery. Still very dubious though.
9 It is likely that the hillfort is not archaeological in nature as described by the Warwickshire HER. It is possible that the cropmark feature was interpreted as a rampart of a hillfort when it’s actually due to a geological boundary. Boulder clay sits above the Jurassic clay and the boundary of the boulder clay is very close to the form of the cropmarks seen on aerial photographs.
10 Although relatively unbelievable it has to be admitted that the photo in the 1974 TBAS (Vol 86, plate 1 b) isn't too bad. Jury still out. Polygon altered to match this photo and the western part visible on 2012-2013 air photo layer.
11 This feature is actually visible as a partial earthwork on theBluesky mapshop website on the 'Photogrammetric DSM' layer. It therefore is most unlikely to be a natural feature and is much more likely to be a prehistoric feature, presumably a hillfort. The re-jigged line of the Roman road south-west of Stratford probably runs through it.
 
Sources
Source No: 8
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: Microsoft Live Search maps (http://maps.live.com)
Author/originator: Microsoft
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP2661 and SP2662
Author/originator: Various
Date: Various
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP2661AB-AC SP2662A-
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP17SW
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1948
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 42-17SW
   
Source No:
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Knavenhill, Alderminster
Author/originator:
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds NMP Project
Author/originator: Amanda Dickson
Date: 2010-2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1988
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: Alderminster
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Field Survey Form
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: GC
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1278
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 86
Author/originator: Thomas N
Date: 1974
Page Number: 32
Volume/Sheet: 86
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 27
Author/originator: Hingley R and Fowler R
Date: 1984
Page Number: 54
Volume/Sheet: 27
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 11
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.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are held at 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
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.

more -> 		back
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.
more -> 		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.
more -> 		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.
more -> 		back
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.
more -> 		back
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.
more -> 		back
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 BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument RAMPART * A protective earthen mound, often the main defence of a fortification. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument OVAL ENCLOSURE * An oval shaped area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or similar barrier. 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 ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. 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 NATURAL FEATURE * Use only for natural features mistakenly assumed to be archaeological or natural features with archaeological significance. back
monument HILLFORT * A hilltop enclosure bounded by one or more substantial banks, ramparts and ditches. Use more specific type where known. back
monument DRAINAGE DITCH * A long, narrow ditch designed to carry water away from a waterlogged area. back
monument FARM * A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. Use more specific type where known. 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