Information for record number MWA781:
Chesterton Magna Shrunken Medieval Settlement (Le Grenesyde)

Summary An area of the Medieval deserted settlement of Chesterton Magna known as Le Grenesyde. The site is known from documentary evidence and is thought to be situated in the area to the west of Chesterton Green.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Chesterton and Kingston
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 34 58
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1Part of an extensive earthwork complex including some crofts and houses, among a maze of post-depopulation paddocks and pens; a messuage and crofts confirmed to William de Depyng in 1344 was located on 'le Grenesyde', and this was possibly in this area.
2Plan of village
3 Area W of Chesterton Green. Believed by Beresford to represent main village, but systematic augering has disproved this. A couple of cottages may have stood near the modern house just W of the fork in the road, but there is no evidence of extensive settlement.
4 Various air photographs.
5 In the winter of 1997 a small trench was dug to bury the local donkey. It was reported to WART that a limestone wall was observed, together with pottery, bone and shell of Medieval date.
6 Mentioned in 1344 as 'le Grenesyde'. The remains of at least three building platforms and causewayed road junction with raised camber running in two directions are visible in the field to the north of Green Farm. Aerial photgraphs demonstrate that further extensive settlement remains formerly survived in the larger arable field to the west, including a series of enclosures and building platforms and a chain of at least three fishponds. These remains have been reduced by cultivation and are not included in the scheduling, except for a 15m sample on the eastern edge of the field included in order to preserve the relationship between the earthwork site and the wider settlement remains.
7 WART record card.
8 Three separate areas of rubble spread were recorded during the excavation of a pipe trench as part of flood alleviation works across the shrunken settlement. These were only seen in section, but it is thought possible that they represent yard surfaces, street metalling or even the remains of ploughed out buildings.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP2661 and SP2662
Author/originator: Various
Date: Various
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP2661AB-AC SP2662A-
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: 'Roman House', Ewefields Farm Chesterton
Author/originator: David Adams
Date: 2001
Page Number: 12-35
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Field and Forest
Author/originator: Slater T R and Jarvis P J
Date: 1982
Page Number: 157
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Chesterton Magna
Author/originator: Bond C J
Date: 1966
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation of Drainage Works at Chesterton Green, Chesterton and Kingston, Warwickshire
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: Field and Forest
Author/originator: Slater T R and Jarvis P J
Date: 1982
Page Number: Fig 7:1
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: WART Chesterton Survey
Author/originator: Adams, D
Date: 1996
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: CH\8MT
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Medieval Settlement Remains at Chesterton Green
Author/originator: DCMS / EH
Date: 2002
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 35106
   
Images:  
Chesterton Magna deserted settlement near Chesterton Green
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1995
Click here for larger image  
 
Earthworks of Chesterton Magna deserted settlment near Chesterton
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 2001
Click here for larger image  
 
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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 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 Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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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period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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monument YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument PADDOCK * An enclosed field for horses. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. 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 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 ROAD JUNCTION * A place where two or more roads meet. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument BUILDING PLATFORM * A site where a building once stood as identified by a level area of ground, often compacted or made from man-made materials. Use only where specific function is unknown, otherwise use more specific term. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument PEN * A small enclosure for cattle, sheep, swine, poultry, etc. Use more specific type where known. 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 TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument CAMBER * Traditionally a dock where cambering, the bending of beams for shipbuilding, took place. Now used for a small dock. back
monument CROFT * An enclosed piece of land adjoining a house. back
monument MAZE * A confusing and baffling network of winding and intercommunicating paths, often bordered by high hedges or walls. Some early examples are believed to have had ritual uses. 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 WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument FOREST * A large tract of land covered with trees and interspersed with open areas of land. Traditionally forests were owned by the monarchy and had their own laws. back
monument MESSUAGE * A dwelling-house with outbuildings and land assigned to its use. 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