|
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.
|
| back |
|
SAM List
|
Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically.
|
| back |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
DOVECOTE *
|
A building, or part of a building, used to house doves and pigeons, usually placed at a height above the ground, with openings and provision inside for roosting and breeding.
|
| back |
|
POOL *
|
A small body of water, either natural or artificial.
|
| back |
|
HOUSE *
|
A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
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 |
|
SITE *
|
Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible.
|
| back |
|
FISHPOND *
|
A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish.
|
| back |
|
SETTLEMENT *
|
A small concentration of dwellings.
|
| back |
|
HAMLET *
|
Small settlement with no ecclesiastical or lay administrative function.
|
| back |
|
BUILDING *
|
A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
STONE *
|
Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function.
|
| back |
|
MANOR HOUSE *
|
The principal house of a manor or village.
|
| back |
|
POND *
|
A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known.
|
| back |
|
CHURCH *
|
A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
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 |
|
ROAD *
|
A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles.
|
| back |
|
DESERTED SETTLEMENT *
|
An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs.
|
| back |
|
COURTYARD *
|
An uncovered area, surrounded or partially surrounded by buildings.
|
| back |
|
FIELD *
|
An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock.
|
| back |
|
COACH HOUSE *
|
An outbuilding where a horse-drawn carriage is kept.
|
| back |
|
CEMETERY *
|
An area of ground, set apart for the burial of the dead.
|
| back |
|
MANOR *
|
An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc.
|
| back |
|
CHURCHYARD *
|
An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground.
|
| back |
|
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 |
|
BARN *
|
A building for the storage and processing of grain crops and for housing straw, farm equipment and occasionally livestock and their fodder. Use more specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
COPPICE *
|
A managed small wood or thicket of underwood grown to be periodically cut to encourage new growth providing smaller timber.
|
| back |
|
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 |
|
HOMESTEAD *
|
A small settlement, usually consisting of one dwelling with ancillary buildings.
|
| back |
|
WALL *
|
An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known.
|
| back |
|
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 |
|
EARTHWORK *
|
A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification.
|
| back |
* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)