Information for record number MWA71:
Moat at Whitacre Hall

Summary The site of a moat, a wide ditch surrounding a building, dating to the Medieval period. It is visible as an earthwork and is situated Whitacre Hall.
What Is It?  
Type: Moat, Castle?
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Nether Whitacre
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 24 93
(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 A large square moated area of Medieval origin, evidently constructed for defensive purposes. The moat is stone lined on the inner faces, and at each angle except the NE is a small square shell tower of red sandstone with open sides towards the internal area. Each wall, including the two short sides, overlooking the length of the moat, is pierced by a loop. Spanning the S arm on solid foundations (not arched) is a small Elizabethan gate house, large enough to admit a small vehicle, built of red brick and having an outer curvilinear gable-head. The entrance, in a square recess on the outer face, is round-headed and has the original nail-studded gate hung with plain strap hinges. Outside the moat are timber-framed farm buildings.
2 1953, as described, the moat being water-filled. 1976, in good condition. Measures 90m E-W by 75m N-S. The arms average 8m in width. The moat is fed by a spring to the NE. The gatehouse, the shell towers, 5m square and 3m in height internally, and the inner-connecting revetment walls are non-defensive ornamental features in Elizabethan brick.
5 This site is not described as a castle by any of the sources, but is fairly similar to Whichford moat (PRN 2342), which has been described as a castle.
6 Photograph of stone human head set into stone revetting of inner face of moat.
7 The stone lined moat at Nether Whitacre seems to have been of a defensive nature, and it was later joined by an Elizabethan gatehouse which has lead to it being classified as a castle. It is one of a number of sites which is ambiguous with regards to its status as a castle or a moated site.
 
Sources

Source No: 7
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: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 4, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: LBL
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1951
Page Number: 5
Volume/Sheet: Tamworth Rural
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Photograph
Title: Stone human head in moat of Whitacre Hall
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: A8311
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NW3
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NW3
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card: photograph
Author/originator:
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Unpublished document
Author/originator: Hingley R
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Whitacre Hall Moat, Nether Whitacre, North Warwickshire
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1977
Click here for larger image  
 
A Medieval moat on the 1887 Ordnance Survey map near Nether Whitacre
Copyright: Open
Date: 1887
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source LBL Listed Building List. Buildings and structures, such as bridges, that are of architectural or historical importance are placed on a list. Buildings placed on the list are protected through various planning and conservation acts which ensure that their special features of interest are considered before any alterations are made to them. The Listed Buildings List is compiled and maintained by English Heritage. It includes details of where the building is, when it was built, a description of its appearance, and any other special features. 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
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 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 BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument TOWER * A tall building, either round, square or polygonal in plan, used for a variety of purposes, including defence, as a landmark, for the hanging of bells, industrial functions, etc. 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 CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument GATEHOUSE * A gateway with one or more chambers over the entrance arch; the flanking towers housing stairs and additional rooms. Use with wider site 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 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 REVETMENT * A wall or masonry construction built for the purpose of retaining or supporting a bank of earth, wall, rampart etc. back
monument FARM BUILDING * A building or structure of unknown function found on a farm. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. 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 GATE * A movable stucture which enables or prevents entrance to be gained. Usually situated in a wall or similar barrier and supported by gate posts. 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