Information for record number MWA5608:
Iron Age linear earthwork

Summary A linear earthwork possibly an Iron Age boundary, known as Hobditch. It is marked on the Ordnance Survey map of 1924. It is located 600m east of Umberslade Park.
What Is It?  
Type: Linear Earthwork, Boundary
Period: Iron Age (800 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Tanworth in Arden
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 14 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 A linear earthwork is marked on an early OS map and the field name 'Hob Daniels Close' (centred on SP1471) taken from the Tithe Award map may indicate the location of the earthwork. A large ditch with a bank to the W may be the earthwork. Excavation however proved negative and it now seems more likely that Hobditch lay 50m further W. This area was observed during construction of the M40. No trace of a bank and ditch were observed, but conditions were very poor.
4 An earthwork consisting of a bank and ditch runs down a hill alongside Nuthurst Lane, but a small machine trench dug on the line of the M40 failed to locate a ditch at the predicted location.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMA
Author/originator: SC and RCH
Date: 1987
Page Number: 53
Volume/Sheet: 30
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Map
Title: Map 1921 24SE 1:10560
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1921
Page Number: 24SE
Volume/Sheet: 10560
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Map
Title: Tithe Award Map of 1842
Author/originator:
Date: 1842
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Shipston on Stour
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Unpublished document
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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
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 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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monument 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
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 FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument LINEAR EARTHWORK * A substantial bank and ditch forming a major boundary between two adjacent landholdings. Most date from the late Bronze Age and Iron Age. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. 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