Information for record number MWA6412:
Excavation of Earthworks E of Gramer Cottages

Summary A bank and ditch visible as earthworks are Medieval in date. The earthworks are situated 30m east of Mancetter Road, Mancetter.
What Is It?  
Type: Earthwork, Ditch
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Mancetter
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 32 96
(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 1955: A section was cut through the bank and ditch which is clearly visible east of the Almshouses. Cut into the upper layer of the Roman fort ditch was a ditch with a palisade trench behind it, which had been filled in the late 15th century and apparently represents a ditch and palisade surrounding the Medieval village and following the old line of the bank. There may have been two ditches outside this palisade.
2 Plan.
3 Section.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: TBAS vol 74
Author/originator: Oswald A
Date: 1956
Page Number: Fig 6
Volume/Sheet: 74
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Section
Title: TBAS vol 74
Author/originator: Oswald A
Date: 1956
Page Number: Fig 7
Volume/Sheet: 74
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 74
Author/originator: Oswald A
Date: 1956
Page Number: 36-7
Volume/Sheet: 74
   
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 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
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 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 LAYER * An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features. back
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 PALISADE * An enclosure of stakes driven into the ground, sometimes for defensive purposes. back
monument FORT * A permanently occupied position or building designed primarily for defence. back
monument ALMSHOUSE * A house devoted to the shelter of the poor and endowed by a benefactor for this use. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. 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 EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record