Information for record number MWA1309:
Fishponds at Wormleighton Deserted Settlement

Summary A large complex of fishponds, used for the breeding and storage of fish. They were associated with the Medieval village of Wormleighton. They survive as earthworks, and are situated to the north west of the present hamlet of Wormleighton.
What Is It?  
Type: Fishpond
Period: Medieval - Post-Medieval (1066 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wormleighton
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 44 54
(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
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Fishponds, now dry. The largest was fed by a spring. The controlled effluent from this large embanked pond seems to have led off from the NE corner following a small runnel along its N edge to enter the smallest of the four fish-breeding tanks. Surplus water could be directed from the large pond down a small channel into the main stream bypassing the village.
4 Perhaps the most impressive Fishpond complex (?in Warwickshire). This must raise the question of whether all Fishpond complexes are pre-depopulation; the four small tanks seem to lie right over the line of the village street leading up towards the church, and it is difficult to see how they could have been in use at the same time. After depopulation the line of the old sunken village street might have seemed an obvious place to lay out a pond system.
5 Numerous Fishponds show traces of ridge and furrow in the bottom. In some cases this may be the result of later utilisation, but many examples must be the result of alternative ploughing of dry beds between periods when the ponds were waterfilled. One of the best examples is the large square pond at Wormleighton.
6 The rectangular pond also has an island.
7 Scheduled Ancient Monument Record.
8 Scheduling revised.
9 The Fishpond was still in use during the 18th century - 'Oct: 8. 1756 'Rode to Wormleighton after breakfast with Mr Grenville and Carter to see the great pool fished'.
 
Sources
Source No: 9
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: The Diaries of Sanderson Miller
Author/originator: Hawkes, William, ed.
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: AM7
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 86
Author/originator: Bond C J
Date: 1974
Page Number: 94
Volume/Sheet: 86
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Field and Forest
Author/originator: Slater T and Jarvis P
Date: 1982
Page Number: 274
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Plan
Title: Field and Forest
Author/originator: Slater T and Jarvis P
Date: 1982
Page Number: Fig 7:1
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: Wormleighton
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 80
Author/originator: Thorpe H
Date: 1962
Page Number: 59
Volume/Sheet: 80
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: The medieval settlement at Wormleighton
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1999
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM List 1983
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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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 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
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 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 POOL * A small body of water, either natural or artificial. 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 FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument HAMLET * Small settlement with no ecclesiastical or lay administrative function. 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 POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 ISLAND * A piece of land, sometimes man-made, completely surrounded by water. back
monument SPRING * A point where water issues naturally from the rock or soil onto the ground or into a body of surface water. back
monument STREAM * A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source. back
monument FOREST * A large tract of land covered with trees and interspersed with open areas of land. Traditionally forests were owned by the monarchy and had their own laws. back
monument TANK * Armoured military vehicle with its own firepower, which operates on tracks for troop mobility over rough terrain. Some may be adapted, or purpose-built, to be amphibious, and may then be double-indexed as AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE. 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