Information for record number MWA5305:
Moat to west of Manor House, Ilmington

Summary The site of a medival moat, which presently lies under fishponds. Part excavation has uncovered some Medieval occupation debris, and the site remains visible as an earthwork. It is situated to the north of St Mary's Church, Ilmington.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Ilmington
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 21 43
(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 1976: An exploratory excavation confirmed the existence of a moat under one of the ponds. Two trenches were dug; trench 1 through the inner bank of the moat and trench 2, a 5m square, near the centre of the moat. trench 1 produced a rubble area associated with late Medieval pottery and roof tile fragments. Below this was a grey clayey soil containing pottery provisionally dated to 12th - 13th century. The fill of the moat contained wet blue-grey silt, but was not bottomed. Possible traces of a recut were also found. A number of glazed and decorated tiles of late Medieval date were found. A fragment of 16th century jug handle was found in the top layer. trench 2 located an area of rubble containing pottery, animal bone and charcoal. Other layers at a greater depth also contained pottery. Sherds recovered have been provisionally dated the 12th - 13th century. The evidence suggests that there was originally a moated site here. By the 14th century an internal building was in a state of disrepair and at this time the moat was recut on two sides to provide fishponds.
2 The moat at Ilmington is located close to the village church and 14th century roof tiles have been found within the abandoned moat.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Symbols of Status in Medieval Warwickshire (1000-1500)
Author/originator: Hook D
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 117
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMANS
Author/originator: Ball S et al
Date: 1976
Page Number: 63
Volume/Sheet: 19
   
Images:  
A moat lying under a fishpond at Ilmington
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1992
Click here for larger image  
 
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. 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.
 		back
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.
more -> 		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.
more -> 		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 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 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 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 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 TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. 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 EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record