Information for record number MWA1180:
Site of Possible Shrunken Medieval Settlement at Moreton

Summary The possible site the Medieval shrunken village at Moreton. Remains of the settlement are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. The site is located to the east of Little Morrell.
What Is It?  
Type: Shrunken Village, Trackway, Enclosure
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Moreton Morrell
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 31 56
(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 'Rous' list is confusing. He lists Merton, Merhul and Salemorton. But Salemorton is another name for Moreton. The hamlet of Morrell, as it is now spelt, is about half a mile from the village now called Morton (Moreton) Morrell and the air photographs show that it was once, in fact, more extensive to its E and N.
2 No earthworks indicative of desertion can be seen, much of the land being arable, but in the field centred at SP3156 are extensive old quarries.
4 An aerial photograph of the field E of Grange Farm shows a series of square enclosures flanking on an E-W trackway, originally interpreted as Medieval buildings bearing some relationship to the deserted village of Little Morrell. Fieldwork and consultation with local inhabitants indicates that these marks were made by sub-surface stone walls and paving of 18th-19th century date. A gentleman of Brookside said that his grandparents recalled farm buildings at the site.
5 Field Survey Form.
6
7 There are some probable earthwork features visible on the aerial photographs that may suggest the village, now Little Morrell (north of Moreton Morrell) was more extensive. To the east of Grange Farm are parallel linear ditches, which although faint may be croft boundaries or boundary ditch. To the west of Grange Farm are other earthworks forming scarps and a ditch. Most of the earthworks have been plough levelled on recent aerial photographs taken in 1999. These features have been mapped as part of the SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds HLS NMP project. The post Medieval quarries are also visible and have been recorded separately (Monument MWA ?To Be done??).
8 The monument was redrawn to reflect information in the SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds HLS NMP Project. An additional area was added around Morrell Farm as lidar information suggested it was likley to have been within the Medieval settlement whilst on the north side of the lane, north of Morrell Farm, lidar shows that some of the settlement plots mapped for the NMP still survive as quite well preserved earthworks. At least two cottages still occupied parts of these plots on the 1880s 1st Edition OS map althought the plots themselves are likely to be medeival in origin.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP1356
Author/originator: JP
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP1356: A, C, E;SP14
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds NMP Project
Author/originator: Amanda Dickson
Date: 2010-2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: Possible Med site at Moreton
Author/originator: Fowler R
Date: 1986
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 66
Author/originator: Beresford M W
Date: 1945
Page Number: 99
Volume/Sheet: 66
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 29
Author/originator: Fowler R
Date: 1986
Page Number: 57
Volume/Sheet: 29
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. 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 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 Field Survey The term ‘field survey’ is used to describe all work that does not disturb archaeological deposits below the ground through an excavation. Field survey techniques involve recording measurements that help archaeologists draw plans or diagrams of archaeological features. There are a variety of different field survey techniques, including geophysical survey, building recording survey, field walking survey, landscape survey and earthwork 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 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 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 GRANGE * An outlying farm or estate, usually belonging to a religious order or feudal lord. Specifically related to core buildings and structures associated with monastic land holding. Use specific term where known. back
monument FIELDWORK * A usually temporary earthwork or fortification, the latter constructed by military forces operating in the field. Use more specific type where known. back
monument VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument HAMLET * Small settlement with no ecclesiastical or lay administrative function. 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 SHRUNKEN VILLAGE * A settlement where previous house sites are now unoccupied, but often visible as earthworks, crop or soil marks. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument BOUNDARY DITCH * A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. back
monument SQUARE ENCLOSURE * A square shaped area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or similar barrier. Small square enclosures (with sides of less than c.20m) have been interpreted as the remains of square barrows of Iron Age date. 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 ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. 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 CROFT * An enclosed piece of land adjoining a house. back
monument FARM BUILDING * A building or structure of unknown function found on a farm. Use more specific type where known. back
monument TRACKWAY * A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers. 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 WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument SCARP * A steep bank or slope. In fortifications, the bank or wall immediately in front of and below the rampart. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record