Information for record number MWA6011:
Earthwork mound 200m south of Wootton Wawen Church

Summary An earthwork mound 200m south of Wootton Wawen Church may be the site of a possible icehouse dating to the Imperial period, though this has also been suggested as the motte of a Medieval castle or garden mount as part of a Post-Medieval garden feature.
What Is It?  
Type: Icehouse?, Motte?, Artificial Mound
Period: Imperial - Medieval (1751 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wootton Wawen
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 15 63
(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 prominent mound 3 to 4.6m high. Possibly an ice house. There was a door in the base of this mound (B2). Landowner between the wars attempted to excavate this mound and there are still signs of this, although the results are not known. The icehouse theory was apparently his.
3 Scheduled as Warwickshire Monument No 176.
4 Field Survey Form.
5 Ref
4 not locatable, CHS 08/04/97.
6 The earthwork mound as a supposed motte of a motte and bailey castle has been examined by English Heritage on 28 November 2013. The mound is recorded as small and not apparently separated from the 'bailey' which is made up of a series of earthworks of differing scales and profiles, and therefore probably of different dates. It is suggested that the mound may have been erected as a garden feature of early Post-Medieval date to view formal garden compartments and the nearby river.
 
Sources

Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: WM
Author/originator: Baker H D
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Field Survey Form
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Graham D G
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Graham D G
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Ponds SW of Wootton Bridge, Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Unpublished document
Author/originator: Stevens C
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire
Author/originator: MCB Bowden and E Jamieson
Date: 2013
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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source WM Warwickshire Museum Aerial Photograph Collection. A collection of oblique and vertical aerial photographs and taken by various organisations and individuals, including the Royal Airforce, The Potato Board, Warwickshire Museum. The collection is held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Field Survey The term ‘field survey’ is used to describe all work that does not disturb archaeological deposits below the ground through an excavation. Field survey techniques involve recording measurements that help archaeologists draw plans or diagrams of archaeological features. There are a variety of different field survey techniques, including geophysical survey, building recording survey, field walking survey, landscape survey and earthwork survey. 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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period Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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monument ICEHOUSE * A structure, partly underground, for the preservation of ice for use during warmer weather. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FORMAL GARDEN * A garden of regular, linear or geometrical design, often associated with the traditional Italian, French and Dutch styles. back
monument GARDEN FEATURE * Unspecified landscape feature. Use more specific type where known. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ARTIFICIAL MOUND * An artificial hill constructed in Tudor gardens, especially, to provide a good view. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. 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 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 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 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