Information for record number MWA3769:
Medieval boundary ditch near Round Hill

Summary A boundary ditch of Medieval date which survives as an earthwork. It is located in the area of Round Hill.
What Is It?  
Type: Boundary Ditch
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Spernall
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 10 62
(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 The VCH records that a boundary ditch crossed Burford Lane to run up to the top of Round Hill, and that this was identical with the modern parish boundary between Great Alne and Spernall and probably with that of the land granted by William Durvassel to the Abbot of Winchombe in 1182. It is surmised that this was the 'New Ditch' which may actually have been cut to mark this boundary in 1182.
2 Probably the same site as WA 1570.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Spernall Parish Survey
Author/originator: Hooke D
Date: 1982
Page Number: 52
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Unpublished document
Author/originator: Haughton B
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source VCH The Victoria County History of the Counties of England. This publication covers the history of each county in England. For Warwickshire, seven volumes were published between 1904 and 1964. They comprise a comprehensive account of the history of each town and village in the county, and important families connected to local history. Each volume is organised by 'hundred', an Anglo-Saxon unit of land division. The Victoria County History also contains general chapters about Warwickshire's prehistory, ecclesiastical and economic history. A copy of each volume is held at 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 Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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 modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
more ->
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known. back
monument BOUNDARY DITCH * A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. back
monument PARISH BOUNDARY * The limit line of a parish. 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 ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. 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