Information for record number MWA6206:
Possible Moated Site 100m S of Church

Summary Evidence from aerial photographs, backed up by documentary evidence, suggests that this is the site of a Medieval moat, a wide ditch usually surrounding a building. It is still visible as an earthwork, and is situated 50m south of St Mary's Church, Priors Hardwick.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat?, Manor House?
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Priors Hardwick
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 47 56
(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 particularly large moated (?) earthwork near the church could have been the manor house.
2 Plan.
3 Aerial photographs.
4 A settlement is first recorded as one of 24 vills granted to Earl Leofric to found a monastery at Coventry, the grant was confrimed by Edward the Confessor in 1024. The manor house is believed to have lain in the north western part of the settlement, close to the church in the valley. Here there are a large number of irregular enclosures defined by deep ditches and platforms. The dirches are up to 2 m deep and 4-5m wide. They are believed to represent the hollow ways and boundaries although some may have been water-filled and may have acted as leats to fishponds. The uneven suface suggests the buried remains of buildings may survive, these are believed to include a manor houe and its associated agricultural and ancilliary buildings. The manor was in the hands of Coventry Priory and demense land was customarily managed separately from that of the village, allowing more numerous and extensive construction of individual stock pens and and garden enclosures.
5 LIDAR suggests that this is unlikely to be a moated enclosure, as the circuit is not complete, so the suggested site of a manor house does remain possible.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP1751
Author/originator: CUCAP
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP1751:M
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Descriptive Text
Title: Farm Close, Priors Hardwick
Author/originator: Usher H
Date: 1977
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: LIDAR
Title: Geomatics Group online LiDAR data search
Author/originator: Geomatics Group
Date: 2011
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: Earthworks in Farm Close
Author/originator: Usher H
Date: 1977
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Priors Hardwick Deserted Medieval Settlement
Author/originator: Foster C
Date: 1998
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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technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial 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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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 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 VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. back
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 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 MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument PRIORY * A monastery governed by a prior or prioress. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, FRIARY, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MOAT * A wide ditch surrounding a building, usually filled with water. Use for moated sites, not defensive moats. Use with relevant site type where known, eg. MANOR HOUSE, GARDEN, etc. back
monument PEN * A small enclosure for cattle, sheep, swine, poultry, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument LEAT * Artificial water channel, usually leading to a mill. 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 MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. 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 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 MONASTERY * Houses specifically of monks, canons or religious men but not friars. back
monument VILL * Small discreet rural settlements which do not provide the commercial, legal or ecclesiastical services typically found within medieval urban areas. back
monument FARM * A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. Use more 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

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record