LARK STOKE MANOR ADMINGTON WARWICKSHIRE PROGRAMME OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING For RICHARD CROOK ARCHITECT on behalf of MR AND MRS R. COOPER CA REPORT: 05028 MARCH 2005 LARK STOKE MANOR ADMINGTON WARWICKSHIRE PROGRAMME OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING CA PROJECT: 1488 CA REPORT: 05028 Author: Derek Evans Approved: Mary Alexander Signed: ……………………………………………………………. Issue: 01 Date: 14 MARCH 2005 This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission. © Cotswold Archaeology Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail:[email protected] Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology CONTENTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................4 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 5 The site ................................................................................................................ 5 Archaeological background.................................................................................. 5 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 7 2. RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 7 Area 1: chapel service trenches (Fig. 4) .............................................................. 7 Area 2: new electricity cable trench ..................................................................... 8 Area 3: conservatory/garden room ...................................................................... 8 Area 4: new boundary wall................................................................................... 8 Area 5: garden/log store ...................................................................................... 8 Area 6: chapel link ............................................................................................... 9 The finds .............................................................................................................. 9 3. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS................................................................... 9 4. CA PROJECT TEAM ........................................................................................... 10 5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 10 APPENDIX 1: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS...................................................................... 11 APPENDIX 2: FINDS ........................................................................................................ 12 APPENDIX 3: LEVELS OF PRINCIPAL DEPOSITS AND STRUCTURES...................... 13 2 Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25 000) Fig. 2 The site, showing Area 2 (1:1000) Fig. 3 Plan of observed groundworks (1:250) Fig. 4 Section of Area 1 (1:50) 3 Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology SUMMARY Site Name: Lark Stoke Manor Location: Admington, Warwickshire NGR: SP 1968 4374 Type: Programme of archaeological recording Date: March 2003 to September 2004 SMC: HSD 9/2/4982; HSD 9/2/4697PT1; HSD 9/2/4983; HSD 9/2/5969 Location of Archive: To be deposited with Warwickshire County Museums Service Accession no. T/1076 Site Code: LSM 03 A programme of archaeological recording was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (CA) during groundworks associated with the redevelopment of the residential property at Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire. An undated ‘robber trench’ and a probable post-medieval cobbled surface were revealed. Substantial late post-medieval/modern make-up deposits throughout the site suggested that the ground has been extensively disturbed, a process which would have had a detrimental impact on the survival of any archaeological remains. 4 Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 From March 2003 to September 2004 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out a programme of archaeological recording at the request of Richard Crook, Architect on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. R. Cooper at Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire (centred at NGR: SP 1968 4374; Fig. 1). 1.2 The programme of archaeological recording formed part of a series of works at the property (Figs. 2 and 3), including the construction of a new timber store building to the south-west of the manor house (SMC ref: HSD 9/2/4982), the conversion of the Chapel and Chapel Annex buildings to provide ancillary domestic accommodation (SMC ref: HSD 9/2/4697PT1), the construction of extensions and other structural alterations to the manor house itself (SMC ref: HSD 9/2/4983) and the laying of a new electricity cable (SMC ref: HSD 9/2/5969). The site lies within a statutorily protected Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM no. 30047) but Scheduled Monument Consent for these works was granted (individual SMC reference numbers as given) with a condition attached requiring archaeological supervision of groundworks. The objective of the programme of archaeological recording was to record any archaeological remains exposed during the development. 1.3 The archaeological fieldwork was carried out in accordance with written schemes of investigation (WSIs) produced by CA (2004 and 2005a-c) and approved by the Local Planning Authority. The site 1.4 Lark Stoke Manor occupies high ground approximately 1.5km west of modern Ilmington (Fig. 1). It is surrounded on all sides by farm/pasture land. The underlying geology of the area is mapped as Middle and Upper Lias clays and Inferior Ooolite of the Jurassic era (Institute of Geological Sciences 1979). Archaeological background 1.5 The site is located within an area of high archaeological potential. A Mesolithic flint scatter is recorded around 200m NE of the manor house (county SMR ref. 7020), and a Bronze Age scraper was found nearby (SMR 7021). Both sites were recorded 5 Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology during fieldwalking for the Admington Survey (Dyer 1993), which also revealed a dense scatter of Romano-British pottery to the south of the Scheduled area (SMR 7023), suggesting settlement of this period within the river valley. 1.6 The site lies within the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Lark Stoke (National Monument no. 30047) which comprises the buried and earthwork remains of the medieval settlement of Lark Stoke, including its chapel and fishponds, field boundaries and enclosures, and associated hollow ways. Settlement is first recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086, and there is documentary evidence for occupation throughout most of the medieval period. The village appears to have been almost deserted by the late 15th century, however, and is included on John Rous’ 1486 list of deserted villages. 1.7 Irregular earthworks, possibly relating to the medieval manorial complex, lie around the existing house. Although the precise location of the medieval manor house is uncertain, it probably lay in the north-east of the Scheduled area, in the vicinity of the present building. Excavations in 1995 to the south-west of the house revealed 12th century burials and stone foundations (English Heritage 1999) which may be the remains of a manorial chapel. The medieval fishponds survived south-east of the manor until modern times, and are illustrated on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1888. These ponds appear to have been incorporated into the 19th century landscaped gardens by William Fletcher, which also included a ha-ha and a cascade (SMR 8573). 1.8 A survey of the medieval village earthworks in 1990-1 (Dyer 1993) recorded that they are concentrated to the south of the present house in the field known as the ‘Town.’ Further earthworks suggestive of medieval building platforms lie to the north and west of the current manor house, in the narrow part of the Scheduled area. Fieldwalking in this area has recovered 11th century pottery; 12th-15th century artefacts and possible building stone were recovered during excavation of a water pipeline across the ‘Town’ field (English Heritage 1999). 1.9 Other earthworks within the Scheduled area include two terrace routes entering the settlement from the west, and a hollow-way to the north. The latter may have been a route from the village to its surrounding open fields; the remnants of a ridge and furrow system survive in its vicinity. 6 Lark Stoke Manor, Admington, Warwickshire: Programme of Archaeological Recording © Cotswold Archaeology 1.10 The existing house and outbuildings of Lark Stoke Manor are 16th-17th century in date and are Grade II listed. The buildings themselves are excluded from the Scheduled area, although the ground beneath them is included. Methodology 1.11 The fieldwork followed the methodology set out within the WSIs (CA 2003 and 2004a-c). An archaeologist was present during intrusive groundworks, which comprised the mechanical excavation of numerous