Information for record number MWA1598:
Earthworks of possible fishponds or garden 300m south-west of Wootton Wawen Church

Summary A pair of earthworks 300m south-west of Wootton Wawen Church have been interpreted as a two large ponds have been interpreted of Medieval/Post-Medieval date or a pair of garden compartments of a designed landscape of early Post-Medieval date. These appear on a tithe map of 1840.
What Is It?  
Type: Fishpond, Garden Feature
Period: Medieval - Industrial (1066 AD - 1800 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wootton Wawen
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 15 63
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 References in 1637 Terrier (Record Office) to the 'flood gate pit'.
2 Earthworks enclosing two large ponds. A 16th century terrier is said to refer to 'Mr Smyth's sluice gate pit' and the larger pond is shown in use on the tithe map of 1840. They seem to have formed part of an irrigation system. Immediately to the N, and included in the scheduled area, is some well-preserved water-meadow. A Medieval origin as fishponds associated with Wootton Wawen Priory cannot be discounted.
3 Post Medieval ornamental gardens with ponds and a mound.
4 The mound has also been interpreted as the motte of a Medieval castle (PRN 4533) and as an ice house (PRN 6011).
5 Correspondence from 1974 recommending the ponds for scheduling.
6 Correspondence from EH.
7 The Earthworks have been re-examined with all the Scheduled Monument Earthworks by English Heritage during a field visit of 28 November 2013. These have been earlier claimed as ponds, but in this work were re-interpreted as a pair of garden compartments in connection with the other adjacent features. The actual ability of the features to retain water is open to doubt and the claimed 'dam' appears to be just a simple scarp. The southeastern compartment also includes a mound which would be unlikely to be an island if the feature was indeed a pond, though other local examples of this are noted. It is thought that these may be garden compartments overlooked by an adjacent viewing mound and that, in total, many of the apparent Earthworks date to the 17th century as a designed garden landscape/
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Field and Forest
Author/originator: Slater T R and Jarvis P J
Date: 1982
Page Number: 157
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Fishponds at Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Bishop, M W
Date: 1974
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Ponds SW of Wootton Bridge, Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Leigh, Judith, of English Heritage
Date: 1993
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Graham D G
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Ponds SW of Wootton Bridge, Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire
Author/originator: MCB Bowden and E Jamieson
Date: 2013
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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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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period Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. back
monument SLUICE GATE * The gate of a sluice which can be opened or shut to let out or retain the water. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument GARDEN FEATURE * Unspecified landscape feature. Use more specific type where known. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument PRIORY * A monastery governed by a prior or prioress. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, FRIARY, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. 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 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 BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument ISLAND * A piece of land, sometimes man-made, completely surrounded by water. back
monument RECORD OFFICE * A building where official archives are kept for public inspection. back
monument GATE * A movable stucture which enables or prevents entrance to be gained. Usually situated in a wall or similar barrier and supported by gate posts. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ORNAMENTAL GARDEN * A decorative garden, often landscaped, laid out with intricate flower beds and hedges, and often containing ornate sculptures, fountains and garden ornaments. 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 SCARP * A steep bank or slope. In fortifications, the bank or wall immediately in front of and below the rampart. back
monument MOTTE * An artificial steep-sided earthen mound on, or in, which is set the principal tower of a castle. back
monument DAM * A barrier of concrete or earth, etc, built across a river to create a reservoir of water for domestic and/or industrial usage. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record