Information for record number MWA2119:
Shipston Greenway/Ridgeway

Summary The site of a trackway dating to the Early Medieval period. It is known from documentary evidence and is visible as an earthwork. It is located 600m south of Waddon Hill.
What Is It?  
Type: Trackway
Period: Early medieval (801 AD - 1065 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Barcheston
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 24 40
(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 greenway runs from Husbandman's End, Shipston eastward to the River Stour which it crossed by Neal's Ford (See WA 2120). On the east side of the River a hedgerow marks the line of the track as far as SP2640 in Barcheston parish. This may be the Ridgeway referred to in the charter of AD757-B183
2 In the Sawyer's 'Anglo Saxon Charters' we read of the charter, number 55, dated AD 757, on page 236, and the following comments: Turner (1916) citing Stevenson -'dubious'. Grundy (1928) and Finsberg - the early charters of the west midlands - 1961 -'authentic'. It is most likely that this charter is pre-conquest and Sawyer suggests a date of late 10th century for it.
3 The lane was originally extended westwards by a driftway, the line of which can be traced by a line of trees between Shipston High School and its playing field as far west as SP2440.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Site Visit
Title: Record card
Author/originator: PWF
Date: 1982
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 2119
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Anglo Saxon Charters:55
Author/originator: Sawyer
Date: Unknown
Page Number: 236
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title:
Author/originator: de Grey Birch
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Cartularium Saxonicu
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. 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.
 		back
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.
more -> 		back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SCHOOL * An establishment in which people, usually children, are taught. back
monument RIDGEWAY * A road or way along a ridge of downs or low range of hills. back
monument PLAYING FIELD * A field or piece of ground used for the playing of games and other activities. back
monument TRACKWAY * A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument FORD * A shallow place in a river or other stretch of water, where people, animals and vehicles may cross. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record