Information for record number MWA3516:
Possible Medieval Moat at Newnham Fields Farm

Summary A possible moat, a wide ditch usually surrounding a building. It would date to the Medieval period, and was marked on the Ordnance Survey map of 1886. It is partially visible as an earthwork, and it is situated 450m east of Burton Pool Wood, Monks Kirby.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Monks Kirby
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 48 83
(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 circular water-filled 'moat' is marked enclosing a small area of land. Two adjoining fields are called 'House Close with moat' and 'moat Close'.
2 moat marked with a footbridge over it on its W side.
3 By 1968 this was filled in to form a land bridge to the former island. The owner filled in most of the rest of the ditch in 1980, leaving a ten metre stretch at the SW corner which remains intact. The owner said that the ditch was originally about 1.8m deep and clay-bottomed. The island, used as a vegetable garden, contained no evidence of a building. The site is not marked on a map of 1791.
4 Map of 1791.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Map
Title: Tithe Award
Author/originator:
Date: 1842
Page Number: CR569:149:1
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Map
Title: Monks Kirby
Author/originator: Teal J
Date: 1791
Page Number: CR 2026:24
Volume/Sheet: Monks Kirby
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Map
Title: 6" OS Sht 22SW CRO
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1886
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Thomson D J
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 4402
   
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
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 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 POOL * A small body of water, either natural or artificial. 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 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 BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. 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 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 FOOTBRIDGE * A narrow bridge for people and animals to cross on foot. back
monument ISLAND * A piece of land, sometimes man-made, completely surrounded by water. back
monument VEGETABLE GARDEN * A garden devoted to the growth of vegetables. 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