Information for record number MWA4641:
Possible Medieval crop mark enclosure

Summary Linear features and an enclosure are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Ridge and furrow is also visible, suggesting that the enclosure may be of Medieval date. The site lies under the A46, 80m north east of the intersection with the rail bridge near Leek Wootton.
What Is It?  
Type: Enclosure, Linear Feature
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Leek Wootton and Guys Cliffe
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 29 69
(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  

2 Linear cropmarks and enclosures show on aerial photographs. Traces of possible ridge and furrow to the NE appear to be integrated into the enclosure system and may indicate that it is Medieval.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP2854
Author/originator: Pickering J
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP2854 A-D, J-S
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1989
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 3139
   
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 Cropmark Cropmarks appear as light and dark marks in growing and ripening crops. These marks relate to differences in the soil below. For example, parched lines of grass may indicate stone walls. Crops that grow over stone features often ripen more quickly and are shorter than the surrounding crop. This is because there is less moisture in the soil where the wall lies.

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technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. 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 RIDGE AND FURROW * A series of long, raised ridges separated by ditches used to prepare the ground for arable cultivation. This was a technique, characteristic of the medieval period. back
monument LINEAR FEATURE * A length of straight, curved or angled earthwork or cropmark of uncertain date or function. 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 ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record