Information for record number MWA1743:
Medieval Fishponds 400m SE of Lapworth Park

Summary Medieval fishponds used for the breeding and storage of fish. They are still visible as earthworks, and are situated 800m south west of Copt Green, Lapworth.
What Is It?  
Type: Fishpond
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Lapworth
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 16 68
(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 fine fishpond complex associated with a small moat (PRN 1742) in Lapworth Park. One of the fishponds is shown on an OS map and the remainder on the Tithe Map.
2 Three pondbays and a Medieval fishpond now dry are situated within a wooded valley upon a S-facing slope. The fishpond at SP1668 is probably associated with the moat (PRN 1742). The pond measures 40m E-W by 20m transversely and is retained by an earthen bank. The W side has been destroyed or is overlaid by a pond bay. In the main valley are 2 further pond bays. The upper one at SP1669 is 55m long, 12m wide and up to 2m high. It has a modern brick-built sluice and was waterfilled until 1944. The lower pondbay at SP1668 is 60m long, 8-12m wide and up to 2.5m high. The three pondbays held ponds of considerable extent and volume, but their purpose has not been discovered.
4 The northenmost pond has been refilled and is used for fishing. It is bounded on the N by a modern concrete dam. The stream still flows through the complex, but breaches have been made in all the earthworks.
5 Physical description of the site.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 80
Author/originator: Roberts B
Date: 1962
Page Number: 35
Volume/Sheet: 80
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: OS Card, 16NE18
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 16NE18
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: Pondbays at Lapworth Park Farm
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NW3
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NW3
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: GC
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1755
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
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
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 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.
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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 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.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. back
monument PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. 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 MOAT * A wide ditch surrounding a building, usually filled with water. Use for moated sites, not defensive moats. Use with relevant site type where known, eg. MANOR HOUSE, GARDEN, etc. back
monument POND BAY * Form of dam, usually associated with ponds supplying water for blast furnaces. back
monument SLUICE * A dam which can be raised or lowered to regulate the flow of water. back
monument STREAM * A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source. 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
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