Information for record number MWA543:
Boteler's Castle, Alcester.

Summary The site of Boteler's Castle, a Medieval motte and bailey Castle, which has been partially excavated. The site lies 700m south east of Arrow.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle, Motte And Bailey, Findspot
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 08 55
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 In 1086 Fulk held the manor of Oversley, but it later passed to Ralph de Boteler, who probably built a castle there making it his principal seat. A steep knoll overlooking the river Arrow is still known locally as 'Boteler's castle'.
2 A castle 'the strength and compass it was of, may be seen to have been of no mean consideration'.
3 No sign of buildings on the obvious knoll at Boteler's castle. In the summer of 1934 Mr BW Davis trenched the top and sides of the hill. He discovered a considerable amount of pottery, roofing tiles, slates, but little stone and absolutely no trace of foundations. This suggests that the castle was timber and that no motte was formed as the natural escarpment was deemed sufficient. The ruins seen by Dugdale were probably of a later stone building (PRN 6149).
4 In the 13th century Oversley ceased to be the chief residence of the Botelers.
5 A rectangular castle mound in a commanding position with a ditch to the S. There are no indications of a building but coarse Medieval pottery was found over a wide area. The site has been under plough for many years and the mound is spread. At SP0855 are two parallel banks. These appear to have been outworks of the castle forming two unusual baileys.
7 A plot of air photographic evidence for the castle shows that considerable earthworks existed on the site. A probable motte is indicated to the W. Additional marks may indicate a bailey to the E.
8 Other earthworks/crop marks on the site, including the two parallel banks mentioned by the OS, probably relate to an iron age hillfort (PRN 6119) and a later manor house (PRN 6149).
10 Additional finds on the site of Medieval pottery made in 1985.
11 Geophysical survey located a number of anomalies of archaeological potential along the route of the proposed Norton Lenchwick Bypass. However the northern boundary of the outer bailey was not identified.
12 Excavations of the enclosure on the E side of the castle established beyond doubt that the enclosure was associated with the castle, putting to rest the idea that it was an iron age hillfort. Its layout, with few internal boundaries, apparently communal features such as the group of cess pits, and the massiveness of the ditch, all suggest that it was an outer bailey to the castle rather than a village around the castle. The dating of the finds ties in well with historical dating of the site, placing it firmly in the 12th - 13th century, the heyday of the castle.
13 The castle seems to have consisted of a motte and three baileys, an inner bailey to the east of the motte and two further baileys to the north. It had been suggested that the two northern baileys were part of the post medieval gardens of Oversley Court, but the cropmark evidence, which was not available at the time, shows that they were an intergral part of the Medieval defensive system. Whether the baileys were all laid out at one time or the northern ones represent later extensions cannot be said. The northern sides of the northern baileys runalong the edge of the escarpment, along the most defensible line, so it is possible that they were part of the original scheme. To the east of the castle baileys there was a large subrectangular outer enclosure, running from the castle to just beyong Ryknild Street which was included within it. The Excavations revealed a settlement that was contempoary with the castle, dating from the 12th to early 13th century.
14 Correspondence from 1934-5 about an Excavation.
15 Plan that probably relates to
14.
16 Map.
17 Correspondence from 1988.
18 Noted; reference to Excavations detailed in
14, undertaken by Davis 'on many occasions between Feb. 1934 and April 1935. He found much tombed stone, 12th century pottery, but was unable to locate definite wall for dating.'
 
Sources
Source No:
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP084559
Author/originator: Pickering J
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 60
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1936
Page Number: 19
Volume/Sheet: 60
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title:
Author/originator: Dugdale W
Date: 1730
Page Number: 854
Volume/Sheet: Antiq of Warwick
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 3, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1945
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 18
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Alcester Notes
Author/originator: W A Seaby
Date: 1954
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 14
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Oversley Castle
Author/originator: Bill Davis
Date: 1934-5
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 17
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Oversley Castle
Author/originator: WM
Date: 1988
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Museum Enquiry Form
Title: WMEF 387
Author/originator: WM
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Enquiry Form 387.
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: A435 Norton Lenchwick Bypass Phase 2/II
Author/originator: Geophysical Surveys of Bradford
Date: 1993
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 16
Source Type: Map
Title: Oversley Castle
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Plan
Title: Boteler's Castle
Author/originator: RCHME
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 15
Source Type: Plan
Title: Oversley Castle
Author/originator:
Date: 1930s
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 67
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 67
   
Source No: 12
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 36 (1993)
Author/originator: White, R (ed)
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 36
   
Source No: 13
Source Type: Serial
Title: Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society (TBAS) Vol 101
Author/originator: Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeology Society
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 101
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list 1986
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 68
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
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
source SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. 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
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 WMEF Warwickshire Museum Enquiry Form. These are forms that are filled in when a person brings an object to Warwickshire Museum to be identified. Amongst the information recorded on the form are details such as a description of the object, where and when it was found, and in some cases a sketch or photographs of it. Copies of the form can be viewed at 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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technique Cropmark Cropmarks appear as light and dark marks in growing and ripening crops. These marks relate to differences in the soil below. For example, parched lines of grass may indicate stone walls. Crops that grow over stone features often ripen more quickly and are shorter than the surrounding crop. This is because there is less moisture in the soil where the wall lies.

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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 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 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).
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monument VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. 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 MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument CESS PIT * A pit for the reception of night-soil and refuse. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument FINDSPOT * The approximate location at which stray finds of artefacts were found. Index with object name. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument SEAT * An external structure used to sit on. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument MOTTE AND BAILEY * An early form of castle consisting of a flat-top steep-sided earthen mound, supporting a wooden tower, and a bailey. 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 MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. 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 GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SIGN * A board, wall painting or other structure displaying advice, giving information or directions back
monument BAILEY * The courtyard of a castle, ie. the area enclosed by the rampart or curtain. Use with wider site type where known. back
monument HILLFORT * A hilltop enclosure bounded by one or more substantial banks, ramparts and ditches. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more specific type where known. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument MOTTE * An artificial steep-sided earthen mound on, or in, which is set the principal tower of a castle. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record