Information for record number MWA2591:
Site of a possible castle at The Grove

Summary The possible site of a castle is suggested by documentary evidence. The site is located at The Grove, 700m north east of Ashow.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Ashow
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 31 70
(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 Before the Conquest Kenilworth was a member of Stoneleigh and had a castle (Regist de Stonle F 4a) on the banks of the Avon in the woods opposite Stoneleigh Abbey. It stood upon Hom Hill but was demolished in King Edmund's time.
2 1961: Hom Hill was not located but is probably the wooded area now known as the Grove, which is centred at the above grid reference. This lies on elevated ground. No trace of a castle was found. 1968: 'Register of Stoneleigh' checked. It holds no further siting evidence.
3 Several field names in this area contain the element 'How', e.g. 'How Grove', 'How Hill', 'How Meadow' etc. could relate to Hom Hill.
4 For an alternative, more likely, site, see PRN 4817.
5 1 above is a misinterpretation. Before the conquest it was a member of Stonleigh; and it had a castle. The text is ambiguous and it could be taken to suggest that the castle was pre-conquest but given the known development of castles in England it is extremely unlikely (though not impossible) that the castle is this early. On balance it seems safest to interpret this as a separate clause merely indicating the presence of a castle, not that it predated the conquest. Dates changed to reflect this.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Antiquities of Warwickshire
Author/originator: Dugdale W
Date: 1730
Page Number: 1056
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Map
Title: 44NE
Author/originator: JMM
Date:
Page Number: 44NE
Volume/Sheet: Annotated Map
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Magnus Alexander
Author/originator: Magnus Alexander
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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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
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
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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record