Information for record number MWA1187:
Compton Verney Deserted Medieval Settlement

Summary The site of deserted settlement at Compton Verney which dates to the Medieval period. The village is known from documentary evidence. Fragments of building stone and pottery have also been recovered from the site.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Compton Verney
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 31 52
(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: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Deserted village centred roughly on SP3153. Rous describes it as reduced from 22 to two families. Dugdale did not know when it was depopulated, but Compton Verney House was first built in 1450. It is probable that the village was supplanted by the House. An engraved view in Dugdale shows 'elmes in the town' and their site is still pitted and abundantly covered with nettles. A court roll of 1400 shows the village still inhabited, but with a number of vacant holdings.
2 Old town field is centred SP3152, it is arable and dotted with the stumps of old elm trees. There are no surface indications of a former village. The field on the opposite side of the pool centred SP3153 is permanent parkland. Some disturbance is evident, but not surveyable.
3 Archaeology poor (C), excellent documentary evidence, with period of desertion known (1*).
4 C Dyer, with students of the University of Birmingham, has located the site of Compton Verney (formerly Compton Murdak) deserted village (SP3152 to SP3153). A large scatter of building stone and pottery occurs on ploughed fields, the pottery dating mainly from the 13th-15th century.
5 C Dyer has confirmed the location of the finds mentioned in
4 as being to the east of the lake as recorded on the overlay.
6 Part of this site has now been evaluated and the existence of Medieval settlement remains has been established (see MWA 6400).
7 Report places the Deserted Medieval village in its regional, historical and archaeological context. The quality of documentary evidence for the process of desertion suggests the site has great potential for further research.
8 Letter from C. Dyer in 1992 reporting an absence of finds on the NW side of the lake.
9 A stone wall was recorded during Phase 2 of refurbishment at Compton Verney, in a service trench to the southeast of the House, and south of the lake. Although no dating evidence was found, it is likely that it would have belonged to a Medieval building within the village of Compton Murdak.
10 This area was surveyed from aerial photographs as part of the SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds HLS NMP project. No traces of the deserted Medieval village were visible on either historic or modern aerial photographs.
 
Sources

Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: DMVRG vol 27 1979
Author/originator:
Date: 1979
Page Number: 10
Volume/Sheet: 27
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Compton Murdak Deserted Medieval Settlement and its Historical and Archaeological Context
Author/originator: Dyer C C and Bond C J
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Compton Verney DMV
Author/originator: Dyer, Prof. C.
Date: 1992
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Compton Verney Opera House: Archaeological Evaluation
Author/originator: Warwickshire Museum
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 45 (2002)
Author/originator: Watt, S (ed)
Date: 2003
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 45
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 66
Author/originator: Beresford M W
Date: 1945
Page Number: 99
Volume/Sheet: 66
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Deserted Medieval Villages Research Group
Author/originator:
Date: 1958
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 6
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Compton Verney
Author/originator: Dyer C
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WMA West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. 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 Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. back
period Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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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period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
more ->
back
monument POOL * A small body of water, either natural or artificial. back
monument UNIVERSITY * A group of colleges and associated buildings belonging to a university. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. 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 LAKE * A large body of water surrounded by land. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument OPERA HOUSE * An often ornately decorated theatre for the performance of opera. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record