Information for record number MWA4817:
Possible early castle 200m E of Crewe Farm

Summary The possible site of an early castle, the remains of which are visible as earthworks. It is located 700m north east of Glasshouse Wood.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stoneleigh
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 31 72
(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 Before the Conquest Kenilworth was a member of Stoneleigh and had a castle (Regist de Stonle F 4a) on the banks of the Avon in the woods opposite Stoneleigh Abbey. It stood upon Hom Hill but was demolished in King Edmund's time.
2 'CASTRUM VOCATUM STONLEHOLM' Stonley Holm 14th century (P) marked.
3 Reference
2 may suggest that the supposed castle was at this grid reference. The source of the information was not found.
4 'Fortified site' marked on a slight hill NE of Glasshouse wood. Possible earthworks are marked.
5 A multivallate earthwork of possible Iron Age origin stands on a promontory dominating a river crossing. According to the Stoneleigh Abbey Leger Book, written in the 14th century, the earthwork is stated to have been destroyed in the wars between Canute and Edmund Ironside in the early 11th century.
6 Geophysical survey produced a series of anomalies that may be archaeological in origin, however thay could easily be natural in origin.
7 Language in Dugdale is ambiguous and seems to suggest that the castle was in Stoneleigh but not necessarily to pre-date the Conquest. This would be highly unlikely. Most likely interpretation is that the earliest Norman castle here was at Stoneliegh rather than on the Kenilworth castle site. Some confusion with the Iron Age hillfort also. Date changed.
 
Sources

Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Arch J
Author/originator:
Date: 1971
Page Number: 224
Volume/Sheet: 128
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Antiquities of Warwickshire
Author/originator: Dugdale W
Date: 1730
Page Number: 1056
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Map
Title: 44NE
Author/originator: JMM
Date:
Page Number: 44NE
Volume/Sheet: Annotated Map
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Plan
Title: TBAS vol 88
Author/originator: Willacy E and Wallwork R
Date: 1976
Page Number: Fig 3
Volume/Sheet: 88
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Geophysical Survey: Crew Close, Stoneleigh
Author/originator: Geophysical Surveys of Bradford
Date: 1990
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Magnus Alexander
Author/originator: Magnus Alexander
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source Arch J The Archaeological Journal is published by the Royal Archaeological Institute. It presents the results of archaeological and architectural survey and fieldwork on sites and monuments of all periods as well as overviews of such work. The journal is published annually. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image 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 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 GLASSHOUSE * A building made chiefly of glass, used to grow plants and fruit in. Use more specific type where possible. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. back
monument HILLFORT * A hilltop enclosure bounded by one or more substantial banks, ramparts and ditches. Use more 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