Information for record number MWA5288:
Medieval earthwork boundary, Ashow

Summary A bank and ditch, probably of Medieval date, mark the western boundary of the parish of Ashow. The bank and ditch survive as earthworks. The boundary is located to the west of Glasshouse Wood.
What Is It?  
Type: Boundary, Ditch, Bank (Earthwork)
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Ashow
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 30 71
(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 On its west side the wood is contained within a bank and ditch. This, except for a break to the south of the wood, encloses the west side of the parish of Ashow, a total length of approximately two miles.
2 Plan.
3 The Medieval boundary bank and ditch have been noted during a field visit on the line of the Ashow/Kenilworth parish boundary, on the south side of Glasshouse wood and north-west of the A46 road. This appears to be of some height, though partly obscured by vegetation.
4 The boundary bank remains in part Scheduled as part of the Glasshouse wood earthworks.
 
Sources

Source No: 3
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Thickthorn (South-east Kenilworth) Strategic Allocations: Historic Environment Appraisal
Author/originator: Parkhouse, J
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1498
   
Source No: 2
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: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 88
Author/originator: various
Date: 1978
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Personal Comment
Author/originator: Keith Elliott
Date: 2016
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
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 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 BOUNDARY BANK * An earthen bank that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. 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 GLASSHOUSE * A building made chiefly of glass, used to grow plants and fruit in. Use more specific type where possible. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument PARISH BOUNDARY * The limit line of a parish. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 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