Possible Moated Site 300m NE of Holt Farm

1 This earthwork does not appear to have been noted in print. It occurs in Southam Holt and is called ‘The Courtyard’ on the Palmer Estate Map of 1775 with what may be a building in the NW corner. It is also named as an enclosure in the Southam enclosure agreement of 1625. Locally it is said to have been thrown up by Parliamentary troops in the Civil War. It is about 70m square with a pool in the NW corner. In 1971 there was a bank c30 cm high, surrounded by a very shallow ditch, with an entrance midway along its W side. A quantity of building rubble lay on the surface, together with 17th to 18th century pottery. Two clay pipe bowls were picked up, one was Broseley c1670. Hedges in the area have subsequently been pulled out and the earthwork is now barely discernible.
4 A subrectangular enclosure with a wide bank. No obvious indication of any internal buildings. The entrance appears to be in the E rather than W side. A parch mark in the NE of the enclosure could represent the site of the buildings mentioned in reference 1.
5 This moat is marked as The Courtyard on the Palmer Estate Map of 1775 (Ref 3), with what may be building in the north west corner.
6 Information and plans from 1973.