Information for record number MWA10231:
Earthworks north of Bubbenhall

Summary Earthworks north of Bubbenhall church. Possibly settlement remains, watermeadow or land drains.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Water Meadow, Drainage System
Period: Medieval - Modern (1066 AD - 2050 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish:
District:
Grid Reference: SP 35 72
(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 Photograph recorded on back as a "View from church tower shewing old settlement foundations? 4/93 SP358726"
2 "This site suggested by Dave Adams as settlement remains. Outside chance it is a water meadow but position on 'land liable to flood' (OS C19) makes it more likely that it could be relatively recent drains??"
3 If this is a settlement it is well defined with rectangular enclosures and appears to overlie ridge and furrow in the north west corner. Therefore dated to medieval to imperial period. Do not see that 'land liable flood rules out water meadow and on map ditch running through the centre of this area has been taken off to north east rather than joining river to south via shortest route as might be expected. Suggests a leat for flooding meadow.
4This is a water meadow. Lidar imnage shows clear evidence of irrigation channels coming from main 'leat'. Remains are well preserved.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: LIDAR
Title: Environment Agency LIDAR (2008)
Author/originator: Environment Agency
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Photograph
Title: Photograph of earthworks to the north of Bubenhall church
Author/originator: Adams, D
Date: 1993
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Possible settlement, Bubbenhall.
Author/originator: Gathercole, C
Date: 1998
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Magnus Alexander
Author/originator: Magnus Alexander
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 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 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 Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. 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 TOWER * A tall building, either round, square or polygonal in plan, used for a variety of purposes, including defence, as a landmark, for the hanging of bells, industrial functions, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument DRAIN * An artificial channel for draining water or carrying it off. back
monument RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE * A rectangular shaped area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or similar barrier. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument LEAT * Artificial water channel, usually leading to a mill. 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 DRAINAGE SYSTEM * A system of artificial or natural drains and ditches used to drain off surplus water. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument WATER MEADOW * Grassland fertilized by allowing floodwater to cover it in winter. 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