Information for record number MWA1650:
Moat House Moat, Wilsons Lane

Summary A moat, a wide ditch surrounding a building. The moat is medieval in date and is visible as an earthwork. It is situated north of McDonnell Drive, Bedworth.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat, Pit, Building, Ditch
Period: Post-medieval (1100 AD - 1600 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Nuneaton and Bedworth
District: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 34 84
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The remains of a small homestead moat in poor condition.
2 The North and East sides remain. The moat is rectilinear and water filled. It appears to be in a good condition. The house and moat do not appear on 17th century maps.
3 Reference
2 suggests that the moat is contemporary with the house, but the grounds for this suggestion are uncertain.
4 Evaluation revealed substantial walls and the backfilled southern arm of the moat. Medieval glazed tiles and pottery were recovered.
5 Desk-based assessment carried out in advance of development.
6 Evaluation carried out in advance of development. Sandstone blocks and rubble spread appeared to represent the remains of revetting against the inner lip of the moat. walls, probably of Medieval date, appear to have been part of a substantial building located on the eastern side of the moat platform. Environmental samples were also taken from the base of the moat.
7 Newspaper article on the ongoing excavations, reported in
6.
8 The construction of the moat was dated to the 12th-14th century during excavations in 2005. The moat was originally 8m wide, 2m deep and had a stepped profile. The earliest deposit was waterlogged and could be dated to the 17th century. A circular pit or posthole 0.45m wide was cut into the lower edge of the moat, next to which were two pieces of timber, one a post and one a plank. Within the area of the moat was a layer of re-deposited clay which was deeper to the southern edge of the moated enclosure. This is thought to represent the levelling of the site prior to the construction of the buildings. Sanstone foundations of a building had been cut into the this layer and the majority appear to have been robbed out. Within the area of the walls was a spread of rubble which may have been a yard surface and contained pottery of a 12th-13th century date. On the outer edge of the moat was a clay deposit which is thought to be the remains of an earthen bank. Also in this area were two ditches which are potentially channels feeding from the moat into fishponds located off site. Around the 16th century the majority of the buildings were demolished and the moat and channels were allowed to silt up.
 
Sources
Source No: 5
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: Moat House, Chasewood Lodge Residential Home, McDonnell Drive, Exhall, Warwickshire: Desk-Based Assessment
Author/originator: H Martin
Date: 2002
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Excavations at Moat House, Chasewood Lodge, Exhall
Author/originator: Birmingham Archaeology
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation at Moat House, Chasewood Lodge Residential Home, Exhall, Warwickshire
Author/originator: H Martin
Date: 2002
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Newspaper/Magazine Article
Title: Coventry Evening Telegraph article on excavations at Chasewood Lodge, Exhall
Author/originator: D Valler
Date: 2002?
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: GC
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 1755
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 45 (2002)
Author/originator: Watt, S (ed)
Date: 2003
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 45
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
A Medieval moat on the 1890 Ordnance Survey map near Exhall
Copyright: Open
Date: 1890
Click here for larger image  
 
The excavation of a Medieval moat near Exhall
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 2002
Click here for larger image  
 
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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 SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of 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 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 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 Environmental Sample Plant and animal remains, such as fish bones, seeds, snails and even beetles, are organic materials. They can survive in the ground for hundreds of years given the right conditions. Archaeologists collect these environmental remains from archaeological sites to find out about the past environment and activities such as farming.

Seeds, pollen, insects and wood all survive well in waterlogged soil, whilst shell and bone survive well in chalky soil. If seeds get accidentally burned, for example in an oven, they will survive for hundreds of years. It is difficult to spot these tiny remains in the soil so archaeologists take soil samples from archaeological sites. The soil particles are then washed in a special tank so that they can be separated from any seeds, pollen and insect remains. The environmental remains are kept in glass tubes and are taken to the laboratory to be identified and analysed.
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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 YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. 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 HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. back
monument LODGE * A small building, often inhabited by a gatekeeper, gamekeeper or similar. Use specific type where known. 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 MOAT * A wide ditch surrounding a building, usually filled with water. Use for moated sites, not defensive moats. Use with relevant site type where known, eg. MANOR HOUSE, GARDEN, etc. back
monument DRIVE * A road/carriage way giving access from the main road to the house, stables. 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 PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. 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 HOMESTEAD * A small settlement, usually consisting of one dwelling with ancillary buildings. 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

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record