Information for record number MWA13141:
Possible site of castle at Coleshill

Summary Slight earthworks on 'The Croft,' a piece of land next to the church, mark the possible site of a castle.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Coleshill
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 88
(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 Local
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Possible site of castle at Coleshill. A 13th century charter refers to a piece of land opposite the church known as 'Mons Castri' or castle Hill. From analysis of aerial images it is clear that slight earthworks remain within a piece of land called 'The Croft' located next to the church. This could possibly denote a former castle. This land has remained undeveloped since at least 1783. The castle was relatively short-lived and had likely fallen out of use sometime during the 12th or early 13th century, possibly when the manor passed from royal hands. Coleshill's ecclesiastical importance in Anglo-Saxon times, its position overlooking a fordable point on the River Cole, and a royal manor would have made it a key strategic location during the immediate post-Conquest period, and a likely location for a castle.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Warwickshire Extensive Urban Survey Coleshill Assessment
Author/originator: B Morton
Date: 2011
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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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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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. back
monument CROFT * An enclosed piece of land adjoining a house. 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