Information for record number MWA6119:
Site of Disproved Iron Age Hillfort at Oversley Castle

Summary The possible site of an Iron Age Hillfort. It is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs. Excavations have now proven that this was actually the outer enclosure of Boteler's Castle and Medieval not Iron Age in date. The area lies to the east of Oversley Castle.
What Is It?  
Type: Enclosure
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 A broad band of negative crop mark to the E of the castle may suggest the rampart of a hillfort. It is extensive in area, although not complete, and is bisected by Roman Ryknild Street which is at this point a hollow or cutting implying later construction than the rampart.
2 Air photographs indicate most of the circumference of a ditched and banked enclosure of about 7 hectares to the E of the Medieval castle. It is unlikely that this is a bailey of the castle as it is too large in area and other crop marks on the site appear to represent a bailey. It is possible that this is a hillfort of Iron Age date. If so the Medieval castle was built over and obscured the W part of the Iron Age hillfort. The potential hillfort has been largely flattened by cultivation.
4 Chatwin believed that the E and N section of the rampart represented a road running up to the Medieval castle, but this now seems unlikely.
5 Part of the area of the possible hillfort is scheduled as Warwickshire Monument No 74.
6 A section of ditch excavated in 1992 determined that it was initially constructed during the Iron Age (proven wrong later). There was no sign of an internal bank which would normally be expected with this type of defensive site.
7 A section was excavated through the ditch of the 'hillfort' during an evaluation in 1993 (PRN 6417). The excavations proved that the enclosure was associated with the castle, putting to rest the idea that this site is an Iron Age hillfort. The evidence suggest that it was the outer bailey to the castle.
8 Plan of hillfort.
9 One firm conclusion of the excavations was that the outer enclosure did not originate as an Iron Age hillfort as had been suggested. The excavations produced no Iron Age material from the enclosure, and all the earlier 'Iron Age' finds have now been redated as Medieval.
 
Sources
Source No:
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP084559
Author/originator: Pickering J
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 60
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1936
Page Number: 19
Volume/Sheet: 60
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: AM7
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Oversley Mill Services, Alcester Warwickshire - Archaeological Evaluation
Author/originator: Warwickshire Museum
Date: 1992
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Plan
Title: Midlands Prehistory
Author/originator: Hingley R
Date: 1989
Page Number: 141
Volume/Sheet: BAR 204
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: Oversley
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Amendment to RCHM pl
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 36 (1993)
Author/originator: White, R (ed)
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 36
   
Source No: 9
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: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: PMB
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 543
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
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 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 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
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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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 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 Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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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 HOLLOW * A hollow, concave formation or place, which has sometimes been dug out. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument MILL * A factory used for processing raw materials. Use more specific mill type where known. See also TEXTILE MILL, for more narrow terms. back
monument RAMPART * A protective earthen mound, often the main defence of a fortification. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. 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 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 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

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record