Information for record number MWA1599:
Site of Wootton Wawen Priory

Summary The site of Wootton Wawen Priory, a Medieval Priory for which there is documentary evidence. Archaeological work and finds of Medieval pottery have added to the information about this site, which lies west of Wootton Wawen church.
What Is It?  
Type: Priory
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wootton Wawen
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 15 63
(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 Soon after the conquest, the church of Wootton Wawen and an endowment of land were given to the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter De Castellion de Couches, who established a small alien priory. A prior and one monk were the only inhabitants. In 1398 Richard II gave the priory to the Carthusians at Coventry, the grant was soon reversed by Henry IV. It was bestowed with all its possessions in 1443 upon the Provost and Scholars of Kings College, Cambridge, and in 1447 the Abbey of Couches released all title to the priory of the College, in whose hands the manor still remains. No trace is left of the priory buildings but they are known to have stood between the churchyard and the ancient fishpool which lies near the Henley Road. The supposed site shows much disturbance, probably as a result of robbery. The ancient fishpool has been filled. In 1963 stone foundations and two skeletons were uncovered during grave digging. A magnetometer survey revealed post holes and pits and a hearth. Subsequent trial trenching revealed building material and pottery dating to 15th century. Three phases of occupation were tentatively identified.
4 Further investigation in 1974 to the west and north of the church prior to the cemetery being extended. Three phases of use were identified, the first being Saxon timber buildings, possibly part of a monastic or aristocratic complex. The second phase: during the early Medieval period the site was a graveyard; the final phase of occupation was represented by Medieval buildings.
5Immediately adjacent to the church are the earthwork remains of large rectangular buildings surrounding a yard and approached by a hollow way. The form of the earthworks suggests they were part of the former priory.
6 Full report on the excavations. Finds include roofing slate with a board for 'Nine Mens Morris' scratched on one side. Also various Medieval pottery was found.
7 Scheduling record.
8 Correspondence from 1973 about the 1964 excavation.
9 Report of the excavation in April 1964.
10 Correspondence from 1973.
11 Correspondence from 1980.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire History, crude plan of Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Unknown
Date: 1570
Page Number: 25-31
Volume/Sheet: 2:5
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 3, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1945
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Conservation Plan
Title: Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Symons D
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Excavation Wootton Wawen April 1964
Author/originator: Graham D.G.
Date: 1973
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Taylor, Mrs Ruth, City Museum, Birmingham
Date: 1973
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Taylor G S et al.
Date: 1963
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Excavations in Wootton Wawen Churchyard
Author/originator: Barnie H, Hirst S and Rahtz P
Date: 1974
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: The Wootton Wawen Project
Author/originator: Bassett S
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: TBAS vol 90
Author/originator: James H
Date: 1980
Page Number: 37-48
Volume/Sheet: 90
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Earthworks W of St Peter's Church, Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1974
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Excavations Adj St Peters Churchyard, Wootton Wawen
Author/originator: Taylor G S
Date: 1964
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 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
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 Magnetometer Survey A magnetometer survey measures the earth's magnetic field and the effects that structures in the ground may have on it. For example, walls, pits and trenches might display different levels of magnetism than the surrounding ground. These differences can affect the readings taken during the survey. Once the readings have been recorded they are plotted out to produce a plan of features that exist below the ground. See also geophysical survey. back
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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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 YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument ALIEN PRIORY * A priory dependent on a foreign mother house. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 GRAVE * A place of burial. Use more specific type where known. 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 ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HEARTH * The slab or place on which a fire is made. back
monument CEMETERY * An area of ground, set apart for the burial of the dead. back
monument MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. back
monument COLLEGE * An establishment, often forming part of a university, for higher or tertiary education. back
monument CHURCHYARD * An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground. back
monument POST HOLE * A hole dug to provide a firm base for an upright post, often with stone packing. Use broader monument type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument HOLLOW WAY * A way, path or road through a cutting. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record