Information for record number MWA2861:
Medieval Moated site of Bockenden Grange, Bockenden Road

Summary This medieval moated site is likely to have been the site of the monastic grange associated with the Cistercian monastery at Stoneleigh Abbey.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat, Cistercian Grange
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stoneleigh
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 75
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 A near square homestead moat, the South and West arms of which are waterfilled, the remainder dry. The enclosed area is now occupied by two buildings and there is no sign of former habitation. General condition of moat fair - heavily overgrown. The present grange is modern.
2 Until recently two buildings of unknown date and origin occupied the site, but these have now been demolished and a new dwelling has been built behind the moat. The moat now forms part of the garden and is quite overgrown in places. The moat was fed from a water system which also fed fishponds (PRN 2860).
3 The enclosure is about 70m by 50m, the moat is about 10-12m wide and the South and West arms are waterlogged.
4 One of three moats within 200m of one another. This lay in what was until 1810 a small enclave in the unenclosed land of Westwood Heath, and did not form part of the monastic grange at the Dissolution.
5 The monument includes a medieval moated site, likely to have been the site of the monastic grange associated with the Cistercian monastery at Stoneleigh Abbey. DESCRIPTION The moated site is likely to be medieval in date. It is a substantial moat, roughly 66m by 60m in total. The wide ditches describe a near-square, creating a large dry island in the interior, with one arm now culverted and covered, at the eastern side. Towards the south-eastern corner is the water inlet, fed originally by a series of four large medieval fishponds to the east, now reduced to a stream, from which a garden pond was created in the later 20th century; the likely outlet is opposite it, off the north-western corner. The ditches vary in width between about 3m and about 10m; they are between 1 and 2 metres in depth, and the southern and western arms are in water. There is a causeway crossing the centre of the western arm. The island is occupied by a house and outbuildings constructed in 1974, set towards the eastern edge of the site. To the south-west of the island is a large flattened mound, likely to consist of demolition rubble of the previous buildings on the site. The moat now forms part of the garden associated with the house. The remains of a small brick building stand outside of the moat on the northern side. There has been speculation as to its association with the moated site, but it does not appear to be of any age: there is no building shown in this position on the 1845 tithe map, so it must have been constructed after that date.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: MSRG
Author/originator:
Date: 1981
Page Number: 27
Volume/Sheet: 8
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Statuatory List
Title: National Heritage List for England
Author/originator: Historic England
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: Moated Sites Research Group
Author/originator: JEC
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Card
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NE1
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1967
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NE1
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Pehrson B
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 3081
   
Images:  
A Medieval moat on the 1886 Ordnance Survey map near Stoneleigh
Copyright: Open
Date: 1886
Click here for larger image  
 
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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 MSRG The annual report of the Moated Site Research Group, containing reports about field survey and excavation of sites throughout Britain. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
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
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 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 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 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 BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument DWELLING * Places of residence. back
monument CISTERCIAN GRANGE * An outlying farm or estate belonging to the Cistercian order. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument FAIR * A site where a periodical gathering of buyers, sellers and entertainers, meet at a time ordained by charter or statute or by ancient custom. 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 ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CAUSEWAY * A road or pathway raised above surrounding low, wet or uneven ground. back
monument OUTBUILDING * A detached subordinate building. Use specific type where known, eg. DAIRY. 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 CISTERCIAN MONASTERY * An abbey or priory of Cistercian monks. 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 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 GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SIGN * A board, wall painting or other structure displaying advice, giving information or directions back
monument ISLAND * A piece of land, sometimes man-made, completely surrounded by water. back
monument STREAM * A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HOMESTEAD * A small settlement, usually consisting of one dwelling with ancillary buildings. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record