Information for record number MWA1116:
Site of Thelsford Priory, Charlecote.

Summary The site of Thelsford Priory, a Medieval Priory for which there is documentary evidence. Excavation work has provided evidence of the extent of the site and of the materials used for building. The site is 1km south east of Wasperton.
What Is It?  
Type: Monastery, Priory, Fair
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Charlecote
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 58
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Site of the priory of Thelsford. Of the building there are no remains above ground, but at Wasperton Manor House is a stone coffin found on Thelsford Farm.
2 Formerly a priory of Augustinian Canons of the Holy Sepulchre founded before AD1200. The transfer to the Trinitarians may have been around 1214. It was also refounded as a hospital. The prior and three brothers surrendered in 1538.
3 Excavation June-July 1966 with the aim of defining the extent of the Site, which was 1.7 ha, bounded on the S and W by a large ditch or moat, on the E by the present road and on the N by the brook. About half of the area was covered by buildings which were either entirely of timber, or on stone footings supporting a timber superstructure. The church appears to have been entirely of stone. The pottery found was 13th to 16th century.
5 1972: Further Excavation of an area W of the priory produced a number of boundary ditches and traces of buildings.
6 Formerly Scheduled as SAM Warwickshire 134.
9 Described.
10 Revised SAM number 21587. Conventual precinct originally occupied a roughly rectangular area of apx 1.6ha. Boundary on the N side represented by Thelsford Brook, on W by a linear pond, the former line of the Warwick road to E and a 2m wide ditch on the S side.
11 Medieval fair held on St Peter’s Chains (1 Aug). The fair was presumably held at the Trinitarian priory, which has sometimes been mistakenly located in Oxfordshire (T. Tanner, Notitia Monastica (London, 1744), p. 438). The index to CChR, 1341–1417 wrongly identifies the place as Nuffield, Oxfordshire. Charter; granted 26 Apr 1366 by K Edw III to friars of the order of the Holy Trinity of Thuffeld [for Thelsford] (CChR, 1341–1417, p. 193).
12 Letter from 1965 about the Site. Encaustic tiles and Medieval handles have been found.
13 Correspondence from the 1970s referring to a proposed road improvement scheme.
14 Letter from M. Gray about the Excavation with drawings of finds.
15 Short report of negative Excavation in 1972.
 
Sources
Source No: 8
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP2661 and SP2662
Author/originator: Various
Date: Various
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP2661AB-AC SP2662A-
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Medieval Religious Houses
Author/originator: Knowles and Hadcock
Date: 1953
Page Number: 155, 181
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 5, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 5
   
Source No: 12
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Thelsford Priory
Author/originator: WM
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 13
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Thelsford Priory
Author/originator: Taylor G S
Date: 1970-72
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 14
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Thelsford Priory
Author/originator: Gray, Margaret
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 15
Source Type: Excavation archive
Title: Excavation at Thelsford 1972
Author/originator: Sanders, H.P.
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMANS
Author/originator: Gray M
Date: 1966
Page Number: 3
Volume/Sheet: 9
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: ASVRP
Author/originator: Gray M
Date: 1966
Page Number: 3
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: GAZETTEER OF MARKETS AND FAIRS IN ENGLAND AND WALES TO 1516 (Warwickshire)
Author/originator: Centre for Metropolitan History
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 15 (1972)
Author/originator: Rahtz, P (ed)
Date: 1972
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 15
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Thelsford Priory
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1996
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 21587
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Thelsford Priory
Author/originator: Ministry of Works/DOE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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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 SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. back
source WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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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 RELIGIOUS HOUSE * Use only for a monastic house of unknown status, religious order and uncertain authenticity. back
monument PRECINCT * The ground immediately surrounding a place, particularly a religious building. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument COFFIN * A chest made of stone, wood or lead, used to enclose a dead body. 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 MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument MARKET * An open space or covered building in which cattle, goods, etc, are displayed for sale. back
monument PRIORY * A monastery governed by a prior or prioress. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, FRIARY, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument FAIR * A site where a periodical gathering of buyers, sellers and entertainers, meet at a time ordained by charter or statute or by ancient custom. 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 ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument BOUNDARY DITCH * A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. back
monument HOSPITAL * An establishment providing medical or surgical treatment for the ill or wounded. Use narrower term where possible. 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 MONASTERY * Houses specifically of monks, canons or religious men but not friars. back
monument FARM * A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. Use more specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record