Information for record number MWA8784:
Romano-British Villa or Settlement Site at Madhill, Sunrising Hill, Tysoe

Summary A probable Roman settlement is located at Madhill. It has been identified by a large number of finds found during fieldwalking and a number of structures and associated features were identified during a geophysical survey in 2010. There is the potential that the structures may be part of a high status building.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Villa
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Tysoe
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 35 45
(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 Fieldwalking by the Edgehill Project Group produced a concentrated scatter of Romano-British pottery sherds associated with ironstone rubble and dark soil. Some larger stones have been dumped into the nearby hedgerows after ploughing. Resistivity associated slight earthworks with a high resistance feature. Other finds of note were a quernstone fragment and broken limestone roof tiles.
2
4
5 A geophysical in 2010 revealed strong evidence for Romano-British structural remains. The site is known to contain low earthworks and over around 30 years it is known that large amounts of masonry has been removed from the site. The site is located on a plateau midway up an escarpment with extensive views, suggesting that the site may be high status. The structures revealed by the survey comprise two buildings possibly linked along the north-eastern side and thus forming a large winged building with the central part facing to the southwest. Although this is an unusual alignment the topography of the site may have influenced the alignment.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Edgehill Project
Author/originator: David Sabin
Date: 1998
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Email from D Sabin concerning 'Madhill' Villa Site and Nolands Farm Villa
Author/originator: D Sabin
Date: 2010
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: Four Romano-British Sites, Tysoe, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Sabin D & Donaldson K
Date: 2010
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 311
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: Interim greyscale and interpretation plot of Geophysical Survey at Madhill, Tysoe
Author/originator: D Sabin
Date: 2010
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Geophysical Survey Report
Title: Four Romano-British Sites, Tysoe, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Sabin D & Donaldson K
Date: 2010
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 311
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image 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 Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument VILLA * A term for a type of house, with varying definitions according to period. Roman villas were high-status and usually associated with a rural estate, whereas Georgian and later period villas were often semi-detached, town houses. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. 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