More information : Ascote, Chapel (416564; 106G UK 1698).
There was arable land here in the thirteenth century and Rous
records its depopulation. The chapel is closely connected with
Hodnell, its equally deserted neighbour parish, and there is
a possibility that St. Helen's, Ascote, was the parish church
of Hodnell. In the seventeenth century the absence of a parish
organization brought Ascote into the poor-law disputes at
Quarter Sessions. The site stands at the northernmost point in
the bend of the stream, some distance from the modern farm of the
same name. (1)
The indicated site has been cultivated for many years and no
remains of desertion are visible. (2)
A Medieval settlement is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in 1946, though the site appears to have been partly levelled on aerial photographs taken in 1970. Some elements of the site are still extant on aerial photographs taken in 1999. The site is centred on SP 4158 5645 and extends over a total area which measures 545 metres east-west and 445 metres north-south.
The site comprises circa five crofts, four possible buildings, two building platforms, four hollow ways and three spoil heaps. This site has been mapped from aerial photographs as part of the South East Warwickshire and Cotswolds HLS Target Areas National Mapping Programme.
The main area of settlement is defined by a NE-SW oriented hollow way extending across the north (between SP 4137 5647 and SP 4172 5669), with three smaller NW-SE oriented hollow ways extending southwards from it almost as far as the stream. The crofts, defined by boundary banks, extend to the east and west of these smaller hollow ways, and typically measure 55 metres long by 30 metres wide. In places, the croft banks appear to extend over the hollow ways, suggesting that they might post date them. A fourth hollow way is located on the eastern side of the site, is oriented almost north-south and appears to cut the crofts. Two further building platforms are located to the south of the stream, at SP 4170 5635 and SP 4160 5635.
Four possible buildings are suggested by narrow L or U shaped linear banks on the northern edge of the settlement area. A probable building platform is defined by a scarp at the centre of the settlement (SP 4148 5646), while a possible building platform is defined by a U shaped scarp, located at SP 4155 5634.
A group of circa three spoil heaps are located on the northern bank of the stream, around SP 4158 5641, and may suggest further buildings. A further spoil heap is located at SP 4168 5639 and appears to be overlaid by the enclosing bank of the pond (NMR: 1532493), suggesting pre-pond settlement activity (3-8).
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