Information for record number MWA8216:
Warwick; medieval town boundary

Summary Archaeological work located part of the Medieval town boundary ditch at the junction of Market Street and Bowling Green Street, Warwick. The remains of a modern building dating to just before the 1960s was also found.
What Is It?  
Type: Town Ditch, Ditch
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Warwick
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 64
(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 Observation of the laying of a new water main through Warwick town centre revealed no evidence of suggested Saxon defences (WA 2191) at the corner of Brook Street and Market Place but located the probable outer edge of the Medieval town ditch (WA 1923) at the junction of Market Street and Bowling Green Street. Foundations of buildings and a well were also recorded here beneath the modern street. These belonged to buildings that stood here between Market Street and Bowling Green Street before a realignment of the streets carried out in the 1960s.
2 Not added to overlays as at 8/98, as these are severely congested at this NGR.
3 The ditch partly excavated by Archaeology Warwickshire during 2008 on the south-western side of the Warwick Bus Station works is thought to be a further section of the Medieval town ditch where the line of this feature has been projected to run. The ditch was revealed approximately between 0.60m and 0.80m below the ground level of the surrounding area in 2008 and rock-cut in this area.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: 5,500 Years at Warwick Bus Station, Neolithic, Saxon, Medieval and Later Archaeology at the Bus Interchange, Market Street, Warwick, 2008
Author/originator: Gethin, B, Palmer, S & Pratt, E
Date: 2011
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation of Warwick Town Water Main Renewal
Author/originator: Palmer, S
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 Neolithic About 4000 BC to 2351 BC

The word ‘Neolithic’ means ‘New Stone Age’. Archaeologists split up the Neolithic period into three phases; early, middle and late. The Neolithic period comes after the Mesolithic period and before the Bronze Age.

People in the Neolithic period hunted and gathered food as their ancestors had but they were also began to farm. They kept animals and grew crops. This meant that they were able to settle more permanently in one location instead of constantly moving from place to place to look for food.
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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 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 TOWN DITCH * A ditch constructed to surround a town for defensive purposes. back
monument MARKET * An open space or covered building in which cattle, goods, etc, are displayed for sale. back
monument BOWLING GREEN * A closely mown piece of ground used for the game of lawn bowling. back
monument BOUNDARY DITCH * A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument DEFENCE * This is the top term for the class. See DEFENCE Class List for narrow terms. 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 BUS STATION * A building and open area from which buses, usually those working local or regional services, begin or end their journeys. back
monument MARKET PLACE * An area, often consisting of widened streets or a town square, where booths and stalls may be erected for public sales. back
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. 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