Information for record number MWA5130:
Site of Iron Age Settlement on Grimstock Hill

Summary The site of an Iron Age settlement which was located 500m north east of Gilson Hall. It was found during an archaeological excavation.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement
Period: Iron Age (800 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Coleshill
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 19 90
(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 Occupation began in 1st century AD and late Iron Age and early Roman pottery have been found.
2 W of the wooden temple, and pre-dating it, was a circular building 12m in diameter, with a central hearth. It is probably one of a number of early Roman or pre-Roman buildings overlain by the Roman temple.
3 Four further round buildings have been excavated within the temple temenos. Clay loomweights, querns, and hand-made pottery have been found with them. Of the same general phase were a ditch and palisade gully. The period of occupation of the buildings is uncertain. Flavian Samian occurs and although the hand-made pottery may be earlier it is not necessarily pre-Roman. Of the five buildings no more than three could be contemporary. They have eaves-drip gullies for structures with turf walls. Two of the buildings may have had external porches. The field system to the S probably has its origin in this period. The site may represent a series of farmhouses perhaps rebuilt by successive generations on slightly different sites. Quern stones, loomweights and spindle-whorls probably indicate a mixed economy.
4 Plan.
5 Interim report.
6 There seems to be some doubts expressed as to the extent of definitively 'Iron Age' structures at Grimstock; although problems with absolute dating are acknowledged. There is doubt whether the earliest phases of ritual activity were contemporary with the later roundhouse phases.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Plan
Title: WMA vol 23
Author/originator: Magilton J R
Date: 1980
Page Number: Fig 11
Volume/Sheet: 23
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 23
Author/originator: Magilton J R
Date: 1980
Page Number: 31-2, 38
Volume/Sheet: 23
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 22
Author/originator: Magilton J R
Date: 1979
Page Number: 48
Volume/Sheet: 22
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 23
Author/originator: Magilton J R
Date: 1980
Page Number: 31-2, 38
Volume/Sheet: 23
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS vol 21 1978
Author/originator: Carver M
Date: 1978
Page Number: 60
Volume/Sheet: 21
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 110
Author/originator: J Magilton
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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
source WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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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 Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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monument PALISADE * An enclosure of stakes driven into the ground, sometimes for defensive purposes. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FARMHOUSE * The main dwelling-house of a farm, it can be either detached from or attached to the working buildings. back
monument GULLY * A deep gutter, drain or sink. back
monument HEARTH * The slab or place on which a fire is made. back
monument FIELD SYSTEM * A group or complex of fields which appear to form a coherent whole. Use more 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 STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument TEMPLE * Use for places of worship. For later landscape features use, eg. GARDEN TEMPLE. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record