Information for record number MWA7978:
Land off Grandborough Fields Rd, Grandborough

Summary An area of ridge and furrow cultivation dating to the Medieval or Post Medieval period. The ridge and furrow survives in places as an earthwork. It is situated on the west side of Grandborough.
What Is It?  
Type: Ridge And Furrow
Period: Medieval - Post-Medieval (1066 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Grandborough
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 48 66
(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: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The results of the aerial photograph and earthwork surveys have revealed that ridge and furrow, albeit poorly preserved in places, does survive on the site. The ridge-and-furrow survives better in the 'south' paddock due to less Post Medieval disturbances in this area. The morphology and dimensions of the development on the surviving ridge and furrow may suggest a relatively late date for its development on the site i.e. late Medieval to early Post Medieval. The alignment of the ridge and furrow in the 'south' paddock, in relation to the paddock boundary, might also suggest a later realignment of the ridge and furrow. However, the lack of information regarding the original extent and form of the earthworks and the origins of the site boundaries precludes the drawing of firm conclusions regarding the date and development of the ridge and furrow.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Land off Grandborough Rd, Grandborough, Rugby, Warwickshire: Recording of earthwork Features
Author/originator: Wessex Archaeology
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Earthwork Survey The measuring and plotting of earthworks, such as banks, ditches, mounds and areas of ridge and furrow cultivation, to create a plan of what exists on the ground. Earthwork surveys are sometimes also called topographical surveys. 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 Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. back
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 Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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monument PADDOCK * An enclosed field for horses. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument RIDGE AND FURROW * A series of long, raised ridges separated by ditches used to prepare the ground for arable cultivation. This was a technique, characteristic of the medieval period. back
monument BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. 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