Information for record number MWA1956:
Site of Church and churchyard of St Lawrence, West Street

Summary The site of the Medieval Church of St Lawrence. It was united with St Mary's in 1367 and was closed in 1410. The churchyard was rediscovered in 1839 during road widening. It stood in West Street, Warwick.
What Is It?  
Type: Church, Cemetery
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Warwick
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 64
(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 The church was granted to St Mary's College in 1123 and was united with it in 1367. It apparently continued in use as a church for some time after its appropriation to St Mary's and the building was still standing in 1632. When West Street was widened in 1837 the churchyard was discovered and a Norman capital found.
2 Workmen reported finding human remains while machine digging two square holes to the rear of no.11. Three more skulls were revealed the next day. In all, the bones amounted to four skulls and several leg bone fragments, but there was no associated material with which to date them. The close proximity of this find to the St Lawrence churchyard suggests that the area of the churchyard be extended southwards.
3 Correspondence from 1983.
4 Archaeological observation close to the site of the medieval church of St Lawrence and within the former graveyard, revealed numerous stone lined graves and burials. Sandstone foundations were also found on the same alignment, suggesting that they belonged to the church of St Lawrence.
5 Two trenches were dug and at least 10 graves were revealed, generally aligned south-west to north-east. Four distinct rows of graves were identified in trench 2. No complete skeletons were found as in all cases the graves extended beyond the trenches. Based on the alignment, density and location of the graves, the presence of stone-lined burials, and the condition of the bone, there is little doubt that these form part of the medieval churchyard associated with St Lawrence church. No structural evidence of the church itself was found.
6In 2009 construction work on a new garage and driveway, following on from an evaluation, found parts of the church along with numerous graves and remains of approximatley 300 skeletons.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 8, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Pugh R B (ed)
Date: 1969
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 8
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Medieval Church of St Lawrence/St Mary's College, Warwick
Author/originator: Edgerton, Mrs Irene
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: 13 Stratford Road, Warwick, Archaeological Evaluation
Author/originator: Archaeology Warwickshire
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1247
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation at 11 Stratford Road, Warwick
Author/originator: C Rann and P Thompson
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Watching Brief Report
Title: Underpinning at no. 11 Stratford Road, Warwick.
Author/originator: Kevin Wright
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 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 CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument CEMETERY * An area of ground, set apart for the burial of the dead. back
monument COLLEGE * An establishment, often forming part of a university, for higher or tertiary education. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument CHURCHYARD * An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument BURIAL * An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches. back
monument HUMAN REMAINS * The unarticulated remains of the body of a human being. If articulated use inhumation. back
monument ROW * A row of buildings built during different periods, as opposed to a TERRACE. back
monument GARAGE * Use only for buildings which house motor vehicles. Includes garages for vehicle repair. For petrol sales use PETROL STATION. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record