Information for record number MWA6128:
Fishponds near Astley Castle

Summary Several fishponds, used for the breeding and storage of fish, of Medieval or Post Medieval date are visible as earthworks. They are situated 200m north west of Astley Castle.
What Is It?  
Type: Fishpond
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Astley
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 31 89
(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 To the NW of the castle is a small fishpond complex.
2 Plan reproduced on OS Card.
3 A complex of fishponds and other water-control features. The group of four inter-connecting ponds and their associated leats are seasonally water-logged. The rectangular fishponds were constructed around a raised central area. Sluices would have originally controlled the water supply within each pond. The pond at the south-west edge of the complex was surveyed in 1967 and has recently been infilled. The fishponds are bounded on their northern edge by an outer bank. The uniformity of the fishponds and their proximity to the 'New Garden' indicates that they are likely to have been laid out in the 17th century.
 
Sources

Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: Astley
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1963
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 38NW1
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 38NW1
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1963
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 38NW1
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Astley Castle moated site, fishponds, garden remains and Astley College
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1994
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 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
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 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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument LEAT * Artificial water channel, usually leading to a mill. back
monument COLLEGE * An establishment, often forming part of a university, for higher or tertiary education. 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 SLUICE * A dam which can be raised or lowered to regulate the flow of water. 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