Information for record number MWA960:
Site of High Status Anglo-Saxon Settlement 425m NE of Hatton Rock Farm.

Summary Linear features are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Subsequent excavation and radiocarbon dating have confirmed that this is an Anglo Saxon settlement, possibly a palace, dating to the Migration period.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Grubenhaus
Period: Anglo-Saxon - Migration (410 AD - 800 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Hampton Lucy
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 23 57
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Various air photographs.
2 Possible Saxon palace site of 2-3 ha in extent on the S end of a spur overlooking the Avon. Two charters of 781 exist. Information on Hampton Lucy, Ingon and Wellesbourne may indicate that this was a large royal estate which gradually diminished in the 8th century. Two phases may be indicated from cropmarks. Each phase consists of a group of rectangular buildings, presumably of timber, and an L-shaped ditch, or timber alignment. In each group there are three or more buildings in a line. Most of the buildings are too large to be part of an ordinary settlement. They are halls similar to those at Yeavering and Cheddar. The palace could date to the period of Mercian supremacy in the 8th century.
3 Rahtz suggests two phases for the building. He refers to resistivity survey and proton magnetometry. The magnetometer survey was more successful than the resistivity, and results are reproduced. It didn't add much to the work done on aerial photography. He suggests two phases: they are not necessarily chronologically discrete, but may represent a first phase that was abandoned, and then stone built buildings replaced them. An interpretative plan is produced, which suggests a ring ditch and pit group as Well as the building complex (see MWA6075).
4 1970: A pipe trench was cut across the site and a number of features were observed. Pottery and other finds confirm a Saxon date. feature 1 could have been part of a small square building, probably a grubenhaus, 2 part of the L-shaped ditch. feature 14 may have been part of a church (PRN 6292). Other features included post holes and timber-slots. Finds included animal bones, hand-made pottery, daub and plaster. The pottery and bone tools date the site to the Saxon period. A radiocarbon date of AD 875 +/- 88 (corrected) was obtained. This could have been an episcopal or royal residence which passed into the hands of the Bishop of Worcester.
5 Early scheduling record.
6 Three large rectangular buildings on axial alignment, two showing structural alterations. Two of these buildings, together with other features, lie within a ditched enclosure. A circular structure and at least one other building lie outside the enclosure to the north. In 781 Offa confirmed to Bishop Hathered of Worcester 17 hides in this area.
7 Finds accessioned into the Museum.
8 Transcription of features. Undated.
9 A number of the buildings show up Well as cropmarks on 2007 aerial photographs.
10Transcription of the features visible on 2007 aerial photographs. The 1970 pipeline trench - see
4 is clearly visible and appears to never have gone through the key buildings at the site. It does go through a sunken featured building (grubenhaus), as suggested in the pipeline report. The GIS layer was adjusted to accomadate the full range of buildings from the transcription, including buildings further north. This transcription probably represents a better version than
8.
11 Mentioned in an article on the use of prehistoric monuments within Early to Middle Anglo-Saxon settlements. This suggests the settlement might have been laid out in respect to the barrow (see MWA6075), which may have survived as an earthwork at the time.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP2661 and SP2662
Author/originator: Various
Date: Various
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP2661AB-AC SP2662A-
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Aerial Photograph Transcript
Title: Transcript of enclosures and buildings at Hatton Rock Palace
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: TBAS vol 85
Author/originator: Hirst S and Rahtz P
Date: 1973
Page Number: 162-77
Volume/Sheet: 85
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Graphic material
Title: High Status buildings and enclosure east of Hatton Rock Farm
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: WM
Author/originator: WM
Date:
Page Number: A198
Volume/Sheet: Catalogue
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Serial
Title: Antiquity:Possible Saxon Palace near Stratford-upon-Avon
Author/originator: Rahtz P
Date: 1970
Page Number: 137-43
Volume/Sheet: 44
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: Archaeological Journal 1964
Author/originator: Webster G and Hobley B
Date: 1964
Page Number: 22
Volume/Sheet: 121
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Serial
Title: Medieval Settlement Research Group Annual Report 23, 2008
Author/originator: MSRG
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Site of buildings and enclosure 500 yds east of Hatton Rock Farm
Author/originator: Ministry of Works/DoE
Date: 1967
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Giles Carey
Author/originator: G Carey
Date: 2009-2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
An Anglo Saxon settlement visible as a cropmark north east of Boscobel
Copyright: WA Baker
Date: 1962
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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source Antiquity Antiquity is a journal about archaeological research and is published four times each year. The journal includes articles about archaeology from all over the world, from the Palaeolithic to the present. Each issue includes an editorial, brief reports, current news in colour, research papers and notes, full review coverage of new archaeological books and occasional special sections on selected topics. back
source SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WM Warwickshire Museum Aerial Photograph Collection. A collection of oblique and vertical aerial photographs and taken by various organisations and individuals, including the Royal Airforce, The Potato Board, Warwickshire Museum. The collection is held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Resistivity Survey A resistivity survey measures the electrical resistance of the soil and any buried features within it. Where there are buried pits and ditches, there is less resistance to the flow of electricity. Where there are archaeological remains made from stone, for example a wall, the resistance is greater. These differences in resistance are measured and recorded by archaeologists using a resistivity meter. The measurements can then be used to plot features that exist below the ground. See also geophysical survey. back
technique Magnetometer Survey A magnetometer survey measures the earth's magnetic field and the effects that structures in the ground may have on it. For example, walls, pits and trenches might display different levels of magnetism than the surrounding ground. These differences can affect the readings taken during the survey. Once the readings have been recorded they are plotted out to produce a plan of features that exist below the ground. See also geophysical survey. 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 Cropmark Cropmarks appear as light and dark marks in growing and ripening crops. These marks relate to differences in the soil below. For example, parched lines of grass may indicate stone walls. Crops that grow over stone features often ripen more quickly and are shorter than the surrounding crop. This is because there is less moisture in the soil where the wall lies.

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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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technique Radiocarbon Dating Another name for radiocarbon dating is C14 dating. It is used to find out how old some archaeological remains are. Archaeologists do this by measuring the amount of radioactive carbon left in samples of organic material (from the remains of plants or animals).

All organic materials contain radioactive and non-radioactive carbon in fixed amounts while they are part of living plants or animals. When the plant or animal dies the radioactive carbon starts to decay. By comparing the amount of radioactive carbon left in the organic material with the amount of stable carbon, archaeologists can find out how old it is.
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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 Prehistoric About 500,000 BC to 42 AD

The Prehistoric period covers all the periods from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age.
This is a time when people did not write anything down so there is no documentary evidence for archaeologists to look at. Instead, the archaeologists look at the material culture belonging to the people and the places where they lived for clues about their way of life.

The Prehistoric period is divided into the Early Prehistoric and Later Prehistoric.
The Early Prehistoric period covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.
The Later Prehistoric period covers Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times.
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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 BARROW * Artificial mound of earth, turf and/or stone, normally constructed to contain or conceal burials. Use specific type where known. back
monument LAYER * An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features. back
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 DITCHED ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by one or several boundary ditches. Double index with a term to indicate the shape of the enclosure where known. back
monument GRUBENHAUS * A timber building based around a sunken hollow, the floor of which may have been suspended above the hollow to counteract dampness. Grubenhauser are believed to date from the 5th to 8th centuries AD but may be earlier. Use Grubenhauser as plural. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PALACE * A substantial house in a town or the country (particularly associated with medieval London). Use more specific monument types where known. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument LINEAR FEATURE * A length of straight, curved or angled earthwork or cropmark of uncertain date or function. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument MUSEUM * A building, group of buildings or space within a building, where objects of value such as works of art, antiquities, scientific specimens, or other artefacts are housed and displayed. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back
monument RING DITCH * Circular or near circular ditches, usually seen as cropmarks. Use the term where the function is unknown. Ring ditches may be the remains of ploughed out round barrows, round houses, or of modern features such as searchlight emplacements. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. 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 HIDE * A shelter, sometimes camouflaged, for the observation of birds and animals at close quarters. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. 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 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 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
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