Information for record number MWA9008:
Medieval Features at Coughton Court

Summary Medieval features and finds recovered during excavations at Coughton Court. features included evidence for a rampart, the moat, the manor house platform, a drainage ditch and a beam slot.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat, Beam Slot, Post Hole, Ditch, Drainage Ditch
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Coughton
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 08 60
(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 Evidence of a rampart embanking the 12th - 13th century moated platform was found in the north east part of the site. The west, east and southern flanks of the moat were observed, sloping at c 30 degrees. A timber cill and post holes suggest that an earlier manor house stood on the south side of the platform. It appears that these buildings were razed on demolition or destroyed by fire. Subsequently the area was levelled but an absence of 14th/15th century pottery and a phase of silting suggests that the site was deserted or that this part was not in use. Dumps of limestone, cobbles and tile in the late 15th century or early 16th century point to freestone building activity associated with the current manor house and other buildings. White limestone being found in the lower storey of the gatehouse, the church, both of 15th century date and the later 16th century walls of the east range and brewhouse. Finds include a few early Medieval sherds of pottery, a piece of iron slag and a fragment of c. 15th century glassware from the silting phase.
2 The moat was filled in to make space for building improvements.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
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: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Excavations at Coughton Court, Warwickshire 1991
Author/originator: Evans J
Date: 2001
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 0111
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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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 BREWHOUSE * An outbuilding containing brewing equipment, as opposed to a large commercial BREWERY. Often found in conjunction with public houses, country houses etc. 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 MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument BEAM SLOT * A trench dug to contain a sill beam, a horizontal timber beam used as a foundation for the wall of a building. Use wider site type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument RAMPART * A protective earthen mound, often the main defence of a fortification. 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 GATEHOUSE * A gateway with one or more chambers over the entrance arch; the flanking towers housing stairs and additional rooms. Use with wider site type where known. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. 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 HOUSE PLATFORM * An area of ground on which a house is built. A platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a house. back
monument DRAINAGE DITCH * A long, narrow ditch designed to carry water away from a waterlogged area. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument POST HOLE * A hole dug to provide a firm base for an upright post, often with stone packing. Use broader monument type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record