Information for record number MWA4991:
Three small enclosures show on air photographs

Summary The site of three small enclosures that are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs. They are undated and are located 700m south east of Little Wolford.
What Is It?  
Type: Tree Enclosure Ring, Enclosure
Period: Imperial - Modern (1751 AD - 2050 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Little Wolford
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 35
(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  
Three small enclosures show on air photographs.
2 Three small enclosures show on air photographs. Two are circular and one is elongated. The enclosures appear to overlie ridge and furrow and are probably the remains of small earthworks which once defined copses on the edge of West Park.
3
4 The enclosures, which can be seen as banks and ditches on aerial photographs taken in the 1947 were mapped as part of the English Heritage National Mapping Project. The northern most pair of circular banks are partially enclosed on three sides by further narrow banks with curving ends and may be standing on a raised platform. There is a further banked enclosure that extends from this enclosure to the south east. The two circular banks to the south east are not enclosed. The northern most of this pair has a break in the bank facing south west. Both of these structures have been built on top of the the medieval ridge and furrow which can be seen inside the enclosures. The group of features is aligned with a field boundary that may mark the extent of the formal Park. Access to the site appears to be by a ride extending from the nearby wooded Little Wolford Heath. Given its presence in the Park, its apparent visibility from the Weston House and its general form it would appear to be a ornamental Park land feature. Later aerial photographs (AFQ 79) of the same site show that the southern pair of rings has been ploughed level and the northern pair are now in woodland.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: CPE UK 1926 Frame 2176
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 16 Jan 1947
Page Number: Frame 2176
Volume/Sheet: CPE UK 1926
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: AFQ Frame 79
Author/originator: CUCAP
Date: 9 June 1962
Page Number: Frame 79
Volume/Sheet: AFQ
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP1751
Author/originator: CUCAP
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP1751:M
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 700
   
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 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 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 Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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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.
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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 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 PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument TREE ENCLOSURE RING * A circular bank in which trees have been planted for ornamental purposes or to create an enclosure. May exist purely as a bank which has been formed over the stumps of the trees which had been planted to form the enclosure. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. 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
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 FIELD BOUNDARY * The limit line of a field. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument RIDE * A road or way for riding on horseback within a park or estate. 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