Information for record number MWA618:
Possible Site of Shrunken/deserted Settlement South of Farnborough Church

Summary Possibly shrunken post-medieval settlement or could also be a deserted medieval settlement associated with the earthworks to the south. A hollow way and several house platforms are visible as earthworks.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement, House Platform, Hollow Way
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Farnborough
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 43 49
(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 field adjacent to the church exhibits a wide variety of earthworks. Just outside the churchyard wall, platforms may be observed in both Garden Ground and the orchard adjoining. A hollow way divides the two fields, and it may be that here is a Medieval depopulation. However, on the OS map, original 6", the orchard is marked as containing two smaller crofts, so this depopulation could be very much later.
3 The 1st Edition of the OS 6" map does not appear to mark croft sites here.
4 A partial plan of the earthworks was undertaken by Stephen Wass. The field name where the earthworks can be found is taken from the 1772 estate survey and is a derivation of Oak Hill. A clearly defined holloway was surveyed along with possible house platforms and terraces.
5 A trench was excavated on the edge of one of the possible house platforms in order to date the abandonment of the building and to try and define its use. The ironstone rubble core of a foundation was revealed. Iron nails might indicate that the superstructure was timber-framed. The core contained early Medieval pottery which may have been residual but does show occupation of the area at this time. The period of destruction was thought to coincide with the formation of the Park.
6 A less detailed (than
4) interpretation of the earthworks was made in 1976.
7 Further reference to the survey undertaken by Steven Wass, including earthwork plans.
8 The western end of these earthworks look quite like garden terraces, particulalry on Google Earth 2006.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: Interim Report on the Earthworks in Church Oakal Field, Farnborough, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Wass S
Date: 2011
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: Report on Excavations in Church Oakal Field, Farnborough Park, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Wass S
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: WMANS
Author/originator:
Date: 1976
Page Number: 21
Volume/Sheet: 19
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 19
Author/originator:
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 19
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Serial
Title: Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society Newsletter: April 2012
Author/originator: Gethin, B
Date: 2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: M. 40 Motorway Survey - Parish of Farnborough
Author/originator: Southam District Local History Society
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. 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 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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
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 CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument MOTORWAY * Fast arterial road with separate carriageways limited to motor vehicles back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument CHURCHYARD * An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground. 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 CROFT * An enclosed piece of land adjoining a house. back
monument HOUSE PLATFORM * An area of ground on which a house is built. A platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a house. back
monument ORCHARD * An enclosure used for the cultivation of fruit trees. back
monument GARDEN TERRACE * A flat, level area of ground within a garden. Often raised and accessed by steps. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument HOLLOW WAY * A way, path or road through a cutting. 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