|
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.
|
| back |
|
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.
more ->
|
| back |
|
|
Post Medieval
|
About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)
The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.
This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
more ->
|
| back |
|
SITE *
|
Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible.
|
| back |
|
|
STONE *
|
Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function.
|
| back |
|
|
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 |
|
|
FEATURE *
|
Areas of indeterminate function.
|
| back |
|
|
POND *
|
A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known.
|
| back |
|
|
FURNACE *
|
A chamber in which minerals, metals, etc, are subjected to the continuous action of intense heat. Use specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
|
PASTURE *
|
A field covered with herbage for the grazing of livestock.
|
| back |
|
|
FIELD *
|
An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock.
|
| back |
|
|
LEAT *
|
Artificial water channel, usually leading to a mill.
|
| back |
|
|
WOOD *
|
A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest.
|
| back |
|
|
STREAM *
|
A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source.
|
| back |
|
|
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 |
|
|
SLAG HEAP *
|
A spoil heap consisting mainly of slag, pieces of refuse material separated from a metal during the smelting process.
|
| back |
|
|
EARTHWORK *
|
A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification.
|
| back |
|
|
DAM *
|
A barrier of concrete or earth, etc, built across a river to create a reservoir of water for domestic and/or industrial usage.
|
| back |
* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)
