Information for record number MWA5500:
Excavation of Poss Iron Age Boundary at Wasperton

Summary Archaeological excavation discovered the line of a ditch which was visible as a linear feature on aerial photographs. The ditch appears to date to the Iron Age, from finds of pottery, and possibly marks the line of a boundary. It is located to the east of the River Avon.
What Is It?  
Type: Ditch
Period: Middle Bronze Age - Late Iron Age (1600 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wasperton
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 26 58
(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 A 'territorial boundary' excavated between 1980 and 1985 in advance of gravel extraction. This boundary was traced from the south-west corner of Field 1 to the north-east corner of Field 2 - from where it can be followed on aerial photographs to the present village of Wasperton. It appears to define a territory defined by a large meander in the River Avon. This territory comprised a stretch of the gravel terrace, and a large tract of meadowland on the floodplain. The boundary first appeared in the south-west corner of Field 1 as a simple gully 0.9m wide by 0.5m deep; for most of its length, however, it had been 'reinforced' - large oval pits, about 3.5m long and 1m deep, had been dug almost contiguously and the upcast placed on the west edge. Few artefacts were recovered from the earlier ditch, or its later reinforcement; they consisted entirely of sherds of handmade pottery, with fabrics characteristic of the first millenium BC.
2 Scheduled as Warwickshire Monument No 143.
5 Scheduling information.
6 Dating revised to Middle Bronze Age to Iron Age.
7 The site is no longer a Scheduled Monument having been descheduled during April 2016.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: Aerial photograph
Author/originator: RCHM
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Statuatory List
Title: National Heritage List for England
Author/originator: Historic England
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Plan
Title: Wasperton
Author/originator: BUFAU
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM Local Index
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1983
Page Number: 3
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Wasperton
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1960s
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Wasperton
Author/originator: G.Crawford BUFAU
Date: 1980s
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Wasperton 1
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Aggregates Assessment
Author/originator: Stuart Palmer
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
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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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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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 Bronze Age About 2500 BC to 700 BC

The Bronze Age comes after the Neolithic period and before the Iron Age.

The day to day life of people in the Bronze Age probably changed little from how their ancestors had lived during the Neolithic period. They still lived in farmsteads, growing crops and rearing animals.

During the Bronze Age people discovered how to use bronze, an alloy of tin and copper (hence the name that has given to this era). They used it to make their tools and other objects, although they continued to use flint and a range of organic materials as well. A range of bronze axes, palstaves and spears has been found in Warwickshire.
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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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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 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 GULLY * A deep gutter, drain or sink. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument LINEAR FEATURE * A length of straight, curved or angled earthwork or cropmark of uncertain date or function. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 TERRACE * A row of houses attached to and adjoining one another and planned and built as one unit. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record