Information for record number MWA2092:
Site of Possible Iron Age Hill Fort on Windmill Hill

Summary The site of a possible Iron Age hillfort is suggested by some slight earthworks. The site is located on Windmill Hill.
What Is It?  
Type: Hillfort
Period: Iron Age (800 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Compton Wynyates
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 33 42
(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 Iron Age camp'.
2 The only evidence appears to be a good natural site and field boundaries. A field boundary on the N side is marked by a substantial length of hedge curving around the hill just below the summit. Below the hedge is a slight bank but this may be only the result of ploughing. On the S and E there has been quarrying and this could have destroyed the evidence.
3 Identifies Windmill hill as possible location for Iron Age hillfort
4 A geophysical survey in 2017 revealed no anomalies of a potential archaeological origin. This included a lack of features in the areas where defensive structures would have been created if the site was a hillfort.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: WM
Author/originator: Ford, W.J.
Date:
Page Number: 24
Volume/Sheet: Consultancy Map
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: A report on the geophysical surveys undertaken to investigate 'The Roman History of Tysoe'
Author/originator: Sabin D & Donaldson K
Date: 2018
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Ref No J705
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: PWF
Date: 1982
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 2272
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Metal Detecting Survey: Compton Wynyates Estate
Author/originator: Connaughton, Troy
Date: 1994-1996
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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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 WM Warwickshire Museum Aerial Photograph Collection. A collection of oblique and vertical aerial photographs and taken by various organisations and individuals, including the Royal Airforce, The Potato Board, Warwickshire Museum. The collection is held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image 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 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.
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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.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument WINDMILL * A tower-like structure of wood or brick with a wooden cap and sails which are driven around by the wind producing power to work the internal machinery. Use with product type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument FIELD BOUNDARY * The limit line of a field. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument HEDGE * Usually a row of bushes or small trees planted closely together to form a boundary between pieces of land or at the sides of a road. back
monument HILLFORT * A hilltop enclosure bounded by one or more substantial banks, ramparts and ditches. 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