Information for record number MWA1988:
Excavation of Medieval Ditch at 23 Market Street

Summary A ditch and bank dating to the Medieval period were discovered during an archaeological excavation. This may be the remains of the town ditch. The features were found 400m north west of Warwick Castle.
What Is It?  
Type: Ditch, Bank (Earthwork)
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Warwick
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 64
(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 1965: An area between Market Street and Bowling Green Street was cleared. A trench 10.6m by 1.2m was opened at right angles to Market Street. The ditch was found cut into bedrock, with a 2.7m deep vertical inner face, and 6.8m wide. The only evidence of a wall was a robber trench in section, and a level of rubble in the ditch filling. Later the site was cleared down to bedrock and the ditch exposed for a length of 46m. A 0.9m layer of dark grey clay was exposed. This could have been an early bank (Ethelfleda 914?). It was sealed by metalling, apparently a roadway.
2 Noted.
3 Plan from 1965.
4 Notes on pottery from this site, recovered by Mr Michael Farr, County Archivist. Fabrics were 'typical' for Warwick. Some late Medieval examples illustrated.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Medieval Archaeology: Medieval Britain in 1965
Author/originator: D M Wilson and D G Hurst
Date: 1966
Page Number: 168-219
Volume/Sheet: 10
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Drawing
Title: TBAS vol 88
Author/originator: Various
Date: 1978
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: Market Street, Warwick
Author/originator: WCC County Architect
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 88
Author/originator: various
Date: 1978
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS, no 8, 1965
Author/originator: Gould, J (ed)
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 8
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. 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.
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technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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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 ROADWAY * The central part of a road between the pavements or the verges. 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 ROBBER TRENCH * Use broader site type where known back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument TOWN DITCH * A ditch constructed to surround a town for defensive purposes. back
monument MARKET * An open space or covered building in which cattle, goods, etc, are displayed for sale. back
monument BOWLING GREEN * A closely mown piece of ground used for the game of lawn bowling. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. 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 WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use 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