Information for record number MWA4769:
Undated cropmark enclosures west of Little Kineton

Summary A series of undated enclosures are visible on aerial photographs 400m west of Little Kineton. A possible Iron Age pottery sherd has been recovered from the site, though the enclosures may also be the remains of a World War II searchlight battery.
What Is It?  
Type: Enclosure
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Butlers Marston
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 32 50
(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 Irregular and circular enclosures show on aerial photographs.
3 The site was examined in the field, finds were very scarce but included one possible Iron Age shelly ware sherd found to the N of the site and a stone object (?quern) to the S.
4 Finds are with T McKay.
5 Cropmarks within this HER monument boundary have been mapped by the NMP as two separate monuments. The southern one has been interpreted as: The remains of a possible Second World War searchlight battery are visible as earthworks and Cropmarks to the west and south-west of Little Kineton. Vertical aerial photographs of 1946 show a group of four circular banks, visible as extant earthworks, which overlie the medieval or post-medieval ridge and furrow (Monument Number 1547386). By the time of the aerial photographs of 2007, one of these was visible as the Cropmark of a circular ditch. In the field to the north, the Cropmarks of what appear to be two partial curvilinear ditched enclosures are visible on aerial photographs of 1977 and 1984. It is possible that these were ancillary parts of the searchlight battery complex. These features have all been mapped from aerial photographs as part of the SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds HLS NMP project.
 
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: 5
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds NMP Project
Author/originator: Josephine Janik
Date: 2010-2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title:
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 4646
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Cropmark enclosure, Butlers Marston
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 4103
   
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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technique Vertical aerial photograph Vertical aerial photographs are taken from immediately overhead using a camera fixed to the underside of an aeroplane. The camera points directly downwards at 90 degrees to the ground. Vertical photographs are particularly useful for identifying sites that survive as cropmarks. See also oblique aerial photographs. 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 Iron Age About 800 BC to 43 AD

The Iron Age comes after the Bronze Age and before the Roman period. It is a time when people developed the skills and knowledge to work and use iron, hence the name ‘Iron Age’ which is given to this period. Iron is a much tougher and more durable metal than bronze but it also requires more skill to make objects from it. People continued to use bronze during this period.
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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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument CIRCULAR ENCLOSURE * A circular shaped area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or similar barrier. 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument DITCHED ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by one or several boundary ditches. Double index with a term to indicate the shape of the enclosure where known. back
monument SEARCHLIGHT BATTERY * A site in which one or more searchlights were positioned to locate enemy aircraft or surface vessels for the benefit of batteries and night fighter aircraft. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record