Information for record number MWA790:
Moated Site 150m NW of Chesterton Church

Summary A moat, a wide ditch usually surrounding a building. It dates from the Medieval period, and stone foundations for drawbridges are still visible. The site contains fishponds and may be associated with a manor house. It is situated 150m north west of Chesterton church.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat, Fishpond
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Chesterton and Kingston
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 35 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  

1 The published pond incorporates a moat at its W end.
3 Site of Medieval moated manor clearly visible in the dip to the NW of the church. Stone foundations of two drawbridges can be discerned in the side of the moat (much overgrown). manorial history described. In c1470 John Peyto rebuilt the moated manor by the church.
4 The moat is much overgrown, especially on the N. The Stone bridge abutments were still visible.
6 Part of the S of the moat has recently been filled in.
7 New Scheduling Information (was County No.106). The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of the Medieval settlement (WA 788/WA 6306), a moated manorial Site (WA 790 and WA 6302) and fishponds (WA 6303). St Giles church, the churchwarden's cottage and the northern half of the church cemetery are totally excluded from the scheduling.
8 The moated platform was a garden feature which had bridges crossing over the moat with a pathway around the edges of the platform and a pond in the centre, now infilled. The foundations of a bridge over the moat were located on its west side. These were gradually becoming overgrown with trees. At ground level approximatly 30cm of soil had gradually slipped from the moat platform, covering what looks like a cobbled pathway, which encircled the moat. The lower levels have survived remarkably well. Mortar bonding the Stones together has survived intact. Sandstone blocks had been cut to shape and inserted in each north-south corners. The condition of Stone work on the east bridge supports is good. A number of inserts cut into the Stonework on the east supports were possibly for inserting timbers to support the bridge. There is no evidence of this being a drawbridge. Within the last two years, the north east end of the moat has suffered serious erosion from animals and the weather. This is exposing large cut blocks of limestone with layers of smaller pieces of limestone above and held together with mortar. Evidence of ceramic roof tile, pottery, glass and broken quern Stone can be seen protruding from both sides of the bank which suggests the possibility of a building within the vicinity. Geophysics has disproved the existance of a building on the moated platform. A wooden sluice gate was found in the north west corner of the moated Site as well as a Stone drain.
9 Rabbit warrens across the Site have produced Medieval glass. They come from the demolished house, removed when the new one was built (see MWA791).
10 One of a few moated Sites in the county with associated fishponds.
 
Sources
Source No: 8
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Archaeological Recordings, Church End, Chesterton, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Adams, D.
Date: 2004
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Symbols of Status in Medieval Warwickshire (1000-1500)
Author/originator: Hook D
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 117
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: MSRG
Author/originator: Clark J
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Card
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 86
Author/originator: Bond C J
Date: 1974
Page Number: 94
Volume/Sheet: 86
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Chesterton Magna
Author/originator: Bond J
Date: 1966
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Newspaper/Magazine Article
Title: Article on medieval glass from Moated Manor House, Chesterton
Author/originator: Leamington Courier
Date: 2002
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: OS Card, 35NE5
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 35NE5
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Moated Site and Medieval Settlement Remains at Church End, 600m east of Ewefields Farm
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 2001
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Wright S
Date: 1979
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1170
   
Images:  
The remains of a moat near Chesterton
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 2002
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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source MSRG The annual report of the Moated Site Research Group, containing reports about field survey and excavation of sites throughout Britain. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
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
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
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 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 HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument SLUICE GATE * The gate of a sluice which can be opened or shut to let out or retain the water. back
monument GARDEN FEATURE * Unspecified landscape feature. Use more specific type where known. back
monument RABBIT WARREN * An area used for the breeding and rearing of rabbits. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument DRAIN * An artificial channel for draining water or carrying it off. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific 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 WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. 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 PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument CEMETERY * An area of ground, set apart for the burial of the dead. back
monument MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. 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 DRAWBRIDGE * A movable bridge lifted at one end by chains or ropes either to stop traffic passing over it or to let traffic pass under it. 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