Information for record number MWA416:
Moat at Hermitage Farm, Little Packington.

Summary The site of a moat, a wide ditch surrounding a building, which is Medieval in date. It is visible as an earthwork and is situated 100m north of Hermitage Farm.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Little Packington
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 23 85
(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 Hermitage Farm is an early C18 brick house enclosed by the remains of a rectangular moat. SE of the house, within the moat, are the foundations of a large rectangular building, probably medieval, about 36m long, which had walls of mud. A small portion of the NE angle stands a few feet high, adapted for other purposes. A hermitage is said to have been built in Little Packington parish by Hemeric, incumbent temp. Henry I.
2 1967: A large deep homestead moat partially surrounding Hermitage Farm. Adjacent to the N is a larger and stronger defensive moat that gives the impression of never having been completed, there being no ground evidence for the original N arm. In all cases the earthworks are impressive and in one instance achieve a maximum depth of 5m. No building foundations were identified in the dense undergrowth to the SE of the Farm. The occupier was not available for consulting. This is possibly the site of the Hermitage but the size and spread of the remaining earthworks also suggest later occupation. 1976: The S and W arms of the moat have been filled in. The N arm is being reduced and encroached upon by ploughing. The steep-sided E arm averages 12m in width and 3m depth. The building foundations recorded above probably refer to a rectangular enclosure which is bounded by low banks of packed clay. The large moated enclosure to the N measures 210m E-W and was at least 120m N-S, but there are no traces of a N arm. The steep-sided E and W arms, which are partially waterfilled, average 14m in width and are from 3-5m deep. The water for the moat came from surface drainage.
4 Condition unchanged.
5 Plan in relation to a proposed change of use in 1992.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 4, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Plan
Title: Hermitage Farm,
Author/originator:
Date: 1992
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: Plan
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 28NW17
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NW3
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NW3
   
Images:  
A Medieval moat on the 1887 Ordnance Survey map near Little Packington
Copyright: Open
Date: 1887
Click here for larger image  
 
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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
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 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 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 ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. 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 FARM * A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HOMESTEAD * A small settlement, usually consisting of one dwelling with ancillary buildings. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. 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