Information for record number MWA3728:
Fishponds at Coombe Abbey

Summary A Medieval/Post Medieval fishpond used for the breeding and storage of fish, for which there is documentary evidence. It survives as an earthwork, and part excavation has uncovered pits and building debris. It is situated at the north east end of Coombe Abbey Park.
What Is It?  
Type: Fishpond
Period: Medieval - Post-Medieval (1066 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Combe Fields
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 40 80
(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 It is probable that these fishponds can be associated with Combe Abbey in its early stages.
2 Beighton shows them on his map from 1725 so they definately predate "The Great Pool" which was created in the 1770's.
3 They also appear on an estate map from 1778 but they may not have been the earliest fishponds at the Abbey, as this same map refers to the "Old Pools" at SP4078 (see WA3729, WA3740).
4 The dried out earthworks are still visible.
5
6 Excavation reported in 1990 revealed dense debris of stone and tiles in the area of the fishpond earthworks. A sequence of 13th century and 14th century dumping was discovered within a pit. A succession of similar pits was discovered and may have been part of the water management system for the fishponds.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Story of Combe Abbey
Author/originator: Motkin D L
Date: 1961
Page Number: 30
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Rugby to Ansty pipeline: Preliminary Archaeological Report
Author/originator: Palmer, S
Date: 1990
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Map
Title: A Survey of the Craven Estate
Author/originator: Baker M
Date: 1778
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: CRO 8:184
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Map
Title: County Map of Warwks
Author/originator: Beighton
Date: 1725
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 33
Author/originator: Palmer S C
Date: 1990
Page Number: 87
Volume/Sheet: 33
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Site Visit
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Pehrson B
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Former fishponds in Combe Abbey Park
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Click here for larger image  
 
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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
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 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.
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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 POOL * A small body of water, either natural or artificial. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PIPELINE * A conduit or pipes, used primarily for conveying petroleum from oil wells to a refinery, or for supplying water to a town or district, etc. 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