Information for record number MWA7495:
Mound E of Polesworth Church

Summary This was initially thought to be the site of a chapel associated with Polesworth Abbey. Subsequent excavations in 2012 found no evidence that this mound dates to any earlier than the 17th century however prompting a reinterpretationthat this may have been a prospect mound associated with Polesworth Hall. The mound is visible as an earthwork and is situated 250m east of Bridge Street, Polesworth.
What Is It?  
Type: Chapel?, Benedictine Monastery?, Mound, Prospect Mound?
Period: Early medieval - Industrial (801 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Polesworth
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SK 26 02
(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 grass covered mound c2.4m to 3m in height lies to the east of the church. It may represent the remains of an eastern chapel associated with the Abbey. However, according to the vicar's secretary the mound was heightened many years ago by the dumping of rubble on its top.
2 Archaeological investigations overseen by Northamptonshire Archaeology saw a trench dug through the mound from its centre to the outer edge on the eastern side. The two lowest strata of the mound contained sherds of pottery dating to the 17th - early 18th century and there was no evidence to suggest that the mound was anything other than a post-medieval creation. The presence of disarticulated human remains, mortar, rubble and other building materials suggests that most of the foundation material comes from nearby demolition levels of the Abbey, possibly from the extensive 17th century works witnessed elsewhere on site. The 17th century date, taken together with the location of the mound has prompeted a re-interpretation of this feature as a prospect mound associated with the wider 17th century landscaped grounds of Polesworth Hall, under the then owners the Nethersoles.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Archaeological excavations at St Editha's Parish Church, Polesworth, Warwickshire August - September 2011 Preliminary Report
Author/originator: Holmes, Mark
Date: 2013
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 13/12
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Chapel at Polesworth Abbey
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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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 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 BENEDICTINE MONASTERY * An abbey or priory for monks of the Benedictine order. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument PARISH CHURCH * The foremost church within a parish. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument CHAPEL * A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HUMAN REMAINS * The unarticulated remains of the body of a human being. If articulated use inhumation. back
monument PROSPECT MOUND * An artificial mound, generally conical, placed within a garden or park to provide a viewing point to overlook the garden or park. It may also serve as a visual focus in the garden or park layout. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument WORKS * Usually a complex of buildings for the processing of raw materials. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record