Information for record number MWA2553:
Leek Wootton Deserted Medieval Settlement

Summary The site of the Medieval deserted settlement of Leek Wootton. An excavation of the site showed Medieval period activity including a hollow way, house platform and enclosures. The site lies under houses on Tidmarsh Road and The Hamlet.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement, House Platform, Hollow Way, Ditch, Enclosure
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Leek Wootton and Guys Cliffe
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 29 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 Rescue excavation in advance of the construction of a housing estate on part of the deserted settlement. Surface indications included a hollow way running E-W along the S of the site, with two more joining it at right angles to the N. Between the hollow ways were apparent house platforms. A number of trenches were excavated. Platform 1 was built up with sand which contained pottery which was provisionally dated to the 13th - 14th century. A hollow way proved to be a yard associated with the cottage. A slot and a ditch were recorded between the Platform and hollow way. Platform 2 was composed of sand with pottery of the same date. The hollow way was not traced but two parallel ditches were found. Several other ditches and slots were examined. At least two ditched enclosures of the Medieval period are represented. The S enclosure probably surrounded buildings of some sort, while the N enclosure had a double ditch with a palisade on the inside. At a later date another ditch was dug in the N enclosure; by this time the S enclosure had been levelled.
3 The conclusion of the excavation was that there were at least two ditched enclosures of the Medieval period - a southern enclosure perhaps surrounding buildings of some sort, with a palisade on the inside. At a later date another ditch was dug within the existing northern enclosure. During the excavation some pottery was found which was provisionally dated to 13th/14th century. Some animal bone was also found.
4 The site is now built on. This excavation together with another site which has surface features indicating earlier occupation (see WA 2554) would suggest that Leek Wootton was a larger settlement in Medieval and Post Medieval times.
5 Correspondence with the DoE about a grant.
6 Correspondence about final report.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Leek Wootton
Author/originator: Ball S
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Leek Wootton
Author/originator: WM
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Leek Wootton
Author/originator: WM
Date: 1974-6
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Leek Wootton, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Ford W J
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: MVRG
Author/originator:
Date: 1972
Page Number: 24
Volume/Sheet: 20/21
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Pehrson B
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 2553
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source MVRG Reports of the Medieval Village Research Group, (now known as the Medieval Settlement Research Group) comprising reports about research and field work carried out throughout Britain. The report is published once each year. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. 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
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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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 YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PALISADE * An enclosure of stakes driven into the ground, sometimes for defensive purposes. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument HAMLET * Small settlement with no ecclesiastical or lay administrative function. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument HOUSING ESTATE * A residential district planned as a unit. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument DITCHED ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by one or several boundary ditches. Double index with a term to indicate the shape of the enclosure where known. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. 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 HOUSE PLATFORM * An area of ground on which a house is built. A platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a house. back
monument HOLLOW WAY * A way, path or road through a cutting. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record