Information for record number MWA13154:
Site of Stiper's Hill Castle, Polesworth

Summary Possible site and associated earthworks of castle built soon after the Conquest.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Polesworth
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SK 27 02
(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 Local
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Site of Stiper's Hill Castle, Polesworth. Ben Morton states that there is some evidence that a Castle was built soon after the Conquest by Richard Marmion. It is possible that the Castle was still in existence in the fourteenth century as it is referred to by Camden, the Castle being held by Alexander Frevil at that time. Dugdale also made reference to the Castle and its location.
2 In the early 2000s the south end of the 'Site', occupied by Stipers Hill Plantantion, had the appearance of a motte when viewed from the abbey (pers comm. From memory). B Morton examined the Site from the road in 2011 and thought he could identify traces of a bailey reaching as far north as the road. It has since been noted that Environment Agency lidar may show the faint remains of a roughly rectangular bailey to the north. Unfortunatley between 2000 and 2006 air photograph layers held by the HER show that the 'off road' race track, already in existence in 2000, had been extended over the 'motte' which was previosuly relatively undamaged. As far as is known no-one has ever walked over the Site with a view to it being a Castle. The 1817 drawings for the OS 2 inch to 1 mile map appear to show an earthwork here broadly similar to the marked area. This was only discovered after all other information and re-enforces the chances of this being a Castle. It should be noted that the N-S length of the monument as marked may be rather large for a motte and bailey Castle in Warwickshire, being much longer than Warwick. It does however follow the faint earthwork visible on lidar but emphasizes how little understood the Site currently is.
3 Portable Antiquities Scheme find provenance information: Date found: 2001-12-01T00:00:00Z Methods of discovery: Metal detector
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) Database
Author/originator: British Museum
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Warwickshire Extensive Urban Survey Polesworth Assessment
Author/originator: B Morton
Date: 2011
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
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  
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 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 ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument MOTTE AND BAILEY * An early form of castle consisting of a flat-top steep-sided earthen mound, supporting a wooden tower, and a bailey. back
monument RACE TRACK * A piece of ground on which athletes race. back
monument BAILEY * The courtyard of a castle, ie. the area enclosed by the rampart or curtain. Use with wider site type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument MOTTE * An artificial steep-sided earthen mound on, or in, which is set the principal tower of a castle. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record