Information for record number MWA6293:
Fishponds at Moor Hall, Wixford.

Summary The site of a fishpond, used for the breeding and storage of fish during the Medieval and Post Medieval period. It remains as an earthwork and is situated 400m north of Broom.
What Is It?  
Type: Fishpond, Plough Headland, Boundary Ditch, Ditch
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wixford
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 08 53
(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 Traces of two moats survive (PRN 1519). Beyond this are artificial banks which probably surrounded a series of large fishponds stretching to the N.
2 These fields were under crop and no remains of fishponds were evident.
3 A fishpond, about 65m by 20m, is situated to the SE of the moat. It seems unlikely that this is the same fishpond recorded in reference
1.
4 Banks and ditches evident on aerial photographs were mapped as part of the English Heritage National Mapping Project. The banks are situated on the edge of the settlement beyond the presumed moat ditch, which is not apparent on any of the aerial photographs examined. One group of banks is situated to the west of the farm buildings in the fields beside the river Arrow. They are arranged in a manner that suggests that they define two rectangular areas, however, the eastern side nearest to the hall that would complete the configuration is not evident. Ridge and furrow ploughing can be seen imposed over these banks. The second feature, located outside the northern perimeter of the farmstead consists of a single bank that is also suggestive of a rectangular form but again one side is lost. In this case it is the southern bank of the rectangle, also closest to the buildings, that is missing. These features are presumably the fish ponds mentioned above at
1 and
2. The presence of Ridge and furrow over the banks to the west of the farm hints that the fish pond, if this is what is they are, had a limited lifespan. The third bank is associated with a ditch that extends northward from the edge of farmstead. It is possible that the bank is a plough headland formed by the Ridge and furrow ploughing in the field to the east, while the ditch is either a drainage channel or the remains of a field boundary.
5 Monument extent revised based on National Mapping Project data.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP0853 Frame 1
Author/originator: Baker W A
Date: 1967
Page Number: Frame 1
Volume/Sheet: SP0853
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Moated Sites Research Group
Author/originator: JEC
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Card
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 3, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1945
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Validation as a result of the NMP project data
Author/originator: G Carey
Date: 2009 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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.
 		back
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.
more -> 		back
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).
more -> 		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 RIDGE AND FURROW * A series of long, raised ridges separated by ditches used to prepare the ground for arable cultivation. This was a technique, characteristic of the medieval period. 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 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 FARMSTEAD * The homestead of a farm consisting of a farmhouse and working farm buildings, with yards, other working areas and usually a garden to the house. back
monument BOUNDARY DITCH * A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument PLOUGH HEADLAND * A narrow strip of land where a plough and team could turn. This usually remains higher than the ploughed land. 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 FIELD BOUNDARY * The limit line of a field. back
monument FARM BUILDING * A building or structure of unknown function found on a farm. Use more specific type where known. 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

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record