Monument Type(s):

• FISHPOND (Medieval to 17th century - 1066 AD to 1699 AD)
• LEAT (Medieval to 17th century - 1066 AD to 1699 AD)
• MILL POND (Medieval to 17th century - 1066 AD to 1699 AD)
• MILL RACE (Medieval to 17th century - 1066 AD to 1699 AD)

Summary

Scheduled Monument: The earthworks of mill ponds, fishponds and leats (watercourses), all of possible medieval origin, around Stokesay Castle.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA6445 - 2010 WB on emergency reinforcement works pond embankment at Stokesay Castle by SCAS
• ESA7713 - 1996 WB during replacement of gas main, W of Stokesay Castle by CPAT
• ESA9318 - 2019-2020 WB on pipe replacement at Stokesay Castle, Craven Arms by Worcestershire Archaeology (Ref: P5682)

Description

A complex system of ponds, dams, sluices and culverts is associated with the castle. A leet takes water from the River Onny above the weir at Stokesay Bridge to a mill SE of the Castle.(PRN 06973) Earthworks between the castle and the mill may represent a second mill-pond, fed from an independent source. A causeway S of the castle held back a pond, fed by a stream from the NW, which almost certainly supplied the castle moat, and which may also have served as a fishpond. Culverts under the causeway were controlled by sluices. Some of the works must be medieval in origin; the system is unlikely to be later than the first half of the 17th century <1>

The OS 2nd edition maps [<2>] show the former course of the River Onny, which has been straightened in the last century <3>

In January 2010 a mobile crane in transit to a sewage treatment plant on the south side of the Stokesay village, left the road through the village and overturned down an embankment retaining one of Stokesay castle ponds. The weight of the crane threatened to undermine the retaining embankment and accordingly emergency reinforcement works were made to the bank under archaeological supervision through a watching brief. The emergency repair works entailed the erection of stone-filled steel mesh gabions on the east side of the dam, between the dam and the overturned mobile crane. The base of the gabions were to be set in a trench c. 2.15m wide by 19m long. The north end of the trench would cut into the toe of the dam by up to 1 m depth, the south end by about 0.25m. At the bottom of the trench, the excavations revealed a smooth dark grey silt. Along the western edge of the trench this was overlain by a deposit of dark brown silty loam mottled with buff clay which may have represented eroded material from the' dam core. This in turn lay beneath a deposit of dark greyish brown loam with stones up to 0.4m thick. Above this was a soil layer, again of dark greyish brown humic loam up to 0.6m thick, and a similar topsoil 0.3m thick with stones and tree roots. No other significant features or deposits were seen.<4>

In May 2014 English Heritage produced a Consultation Report on Stokesay Castle as part of a project to produce descriptions for some of the sites included on the 1913 Schedule of Ancient Monuments.<5>

On the 2nd of September 2014 a History and Description plus the Reasons for Designation were added to the National Heritage List for England Entry for Stokesay Castle (1003011). This incorporated the description of the water management system in Source [<1>]. <6>

Elements of the water management system photographed during aerial survey in 2009-2010. <7><8>

A watching brief was undertaken during the replacement of a gas main to the W of Stokesay Castle, just within the westernmost extent of the scheduled area, in 1996. No archaeological features or finds were recorded. <9>

Photographed during aerial survey in 2019, as part of wider complex of features at Stokesay. <10>

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 2019-2020 to the E of Stokesay Castle, monitoring the replacement over a combined sewer overflow (CSO) pipe scheme running roughly north / south, from Craven Arms sewerage treatment works, to the River Onny...A further visit took place to monitor later works undertaken to locate a drainage connection, in an area to the southeast of StokeCastle Farm. This revealed a substantial U-shaped cut running from the farm towards the River Onny to the southeast. At the base of the cut, a dumped layer including material estimated to be late post medieval in date were preserved, suggesting that the cut was extant during this time. A homogenous layer overlying this is thought to be deliberate backfill to facilitate passage across the cut. <11>

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.