Information for record number MWA8277:
Ridge and furrow, Coventry Eastern Bypass Site 4

Summary The remains of Medieval ridge and furrow cultivation which survived as earthworks. Much of the ridge and furrow has been destroyed by recent road building and pipeline installation. The site is located north west of Walsgrave Hill.
What Is It?  
Type: Ridge And Furrow
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Combe Fields
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 39 80
(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 Part of large, well-preserved area of ridge and furrow c300m W of Walsgrave Hill surveyed by plane-table by Tom Heyes, with photographic & sketch records of remainder. In excess of 90% since been destroyed by road corridor and removal of hill for construction use. Close dating not possible though several phases of activity were represented. Of particular interest were clear signs of at least two main phases where furlongs intersected and a possible third phase where low, flat topped ridges were noted between many of the higher ones.
2 Pipeline by BUFAU across area - pasture and ploughted fields. Route cut R&F orientated NW-SE.
3 Textual information and general location from West Midlands SMR (No 5483), which holds mapped information.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Bibliographic reference
Author/originator: West Midlands SMR
Date: 1998
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 3180
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Coventry Pipeline Phase 2
Author/originator: Hughes, G & Sterenberg, J
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 30
Author/originator: Rylatt M & Heyes, T
Date: 1987
Page Number: 63
Volume/Sheet: 30
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are held at 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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 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 ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument PASTURE * A field covered with herbage for the grazing of livestock. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument PIPELINE * A conduit or pipes, used primarily for conveying petroleum from oil wells to a refinery, or for supplying water to a town or district, etc. back
monument SIGN * A board, wall painting or other structure displaying advice, giving information or directions 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