Information for record number MWA2567:
Site of Possible Moat 300m W of Woodcote

Summary The site of a possible Medieval moat, a wide ditch surrounding a building. The moat is visible on aerial photographs. A geophysical survey and trial trenching have taken place at the site, which is located 200m west of the Police Headquarters at Leek Wootton
What Is It?  
Type: Moat
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Leek Wootton and Guys Cliffe
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 69
(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
Picture(s) attached

 
Description

 
Source Number  

1 A probable moat is visible at the above grid reference on aerial photographs. The site was under crop and could not be investigated.
2 No reference could be found on early maps in the County Record Office.
3 The site is faintly visible on air photographs as a square or rectangular enclosure.
4 The field was under crop when visited and no trace of the moat was visible on the ground.
5 This site was surveyed during the course of an archaeological evaluation. Only the northern part of the moat arm was visible from an earthwork survey. A slight depression to the south of the moat was also indentified, possibly the remains of a pond. A magnetometer survey revealed a spread of demolition material related to a range of buildings on the north side of the moat platform. The precise number and function of the buildings remains uncertain. Trial trenching recorded the northern and southern sides of the moat. The ditch of the moat may have measured up to 3.00m in depth. The moat ditch was found to be unusually wide. The sandstone footings of a substantial structure were exposed on the northern edge of the moat platform, it probably formed part of a large, part-timbered house with a tiled roof.
6 Negative watching brief conducted during new developments on the west side of the police headquarters, immediately east of Lower Woodcote Medieval moat.
7 Letter relating to
6.
 
Sources

Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP24NW
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP24NW
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Woodcote, Leek Wootton
Author/originator: WM
Date: 1993
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation of Leek Wootton
Author/originator: Warwickshire Museum
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 26NE2
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1961
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 26NE2
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 37 (1994)
Author/originator: White, R (ed)
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 37
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Site Visit
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: IRM
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 2567
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Pehrson B
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 3081
   
Images:  
Excavation of a structure within the moat at Leek Wootton
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1991
Click here for larger image  
 
back to top

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 WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are 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 Magnetometer Survey A magnetometer survey measures the earth's magnetic field and the effects that structures in the ground may have on it. For example, walls, pits and trenches might display different levels of magnetism than the surrounding ground. These differences can affect the readings taken during the survey. Once the readings have been recorded they are plotted out to produce a plan of features that exist below the ground. See also geophysical survey. back
technique Earthwork Survey The measuring and plotting of earthworks, such as banks, ditches, mounds and areas of ridge and furrow cultivation, to create a plan of what exists on the ground. Earthwork surveys are sometimes also called topographical surveys. back
technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. 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 HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE * A rectangular shaped area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or similar barrier. 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 FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. 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 SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument RECORD OFFICE * A building where official archives are kept for public inspection. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record