Information for record number MWA3087:
Site of Medieval Grange at Biggin Hall

Summary The site of a Medieval grange, a farm or estate belonging to a monastery. The grange is known to have existed from documentary evidence. An area of earthworks on the west side of Thurlaston may represent the remains of the grange.
What Is It?  
Type: Grange
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Thurlaston
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 46 70
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The monks of Pipwell had lands in Thurlaston and on that land was a Grange called the Bigging, situated on that part of the field named Stokewell Furlong. There was also a chapel (PRN 3088).
2 The name is preserved in Biggin Hall Farm. There is a record in 1298 of the building of a chamber for the monks. The exact site of the Grange/chapel is not known, but dressed stones are dug up from time to time on Biggin Hall Farm.
3 Pipewell had two Granges at Thurlaston (see also PRN 3089). These probably consisted of a chamber, or hall, with perhaps a kitchen, a barn and other outbuildings.
4 There are earthworks in the fields below and next to the Farm (SP4670) which may indicate the site of the Grange - for instance a large fishpond, trackways, very prominent banks, possible house platforms.
5 These earthworks require more detailed assessment.
6 It is reported that there are stone vaults under Biggin Hill Farm, these have been filled in during the 20th century. However, the original entrance to the vault is still visible. The earthworks to the north and east of the lake is called Patrick's field and there most of the earthworks have been filled in in the latter part of the 20th century. The owners call a large hollow to the north of the lake "the moat" and the lake they call "the crocodile pool". The most visible remains are now located to the south and west of the lake.
7
8 earthwork features mapped by the National Mapping Programme, centred on SP 4642 7088. These features are also visible on modern satellite imagery.
 
Sources
Source No: 8
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: Modern Aerial Photography (High Resolution)
Author/originator: Blue Sky/Warwickshire County Council
Date: 2012-13
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Antiquities of Warwickshire
Author/originator: Dugdale W
Date: 1730
Page Number: 1056
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: St Peter's Church, Dunchurch
Author/originator:
Date: 1976
Page Number: 19-20
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwicks History
Author/originator: John E
Date: 1970
Page Number: 21-8
Volume/Sheet: 1
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Digital archive
Title: National Mapping Programme (NMP) Digital Data
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Pehrson B
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 3081
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Record form
Author/originator: Brace J
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C.Hingley personal comment
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1989
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Information from personal research
Author/originator: Brace J
Date: 2002
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Earthworks marking the site of a grange, Thurlaston
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1993
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of 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 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.
 		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.
more -> 		back
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.
more -> 		back
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 GRANGE * An outlying farm or estate, usually belonging to a religious order or feudal lord. Specifically related to core buildings and structures associated with monastic land holding. Use specific term where known. back
monument HOLLOW * A hollow, concave formation or place, which has sometimes been dug out. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument KITCHEN * A building or room where food is prepared and cooked. back
monument VAULT * An underground room or building with an arched roof, often used as a burial chamber. Use wider site type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. 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 FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument OUTBUILDING * A detached subordinate building. Use specific type where known, eg. DAIRY. back
monument CHAPEL * A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HOUSE PLATFORM * An area of ground on which a house is built. A platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a house. back
monument BARN * A building for the storage and processing of grain crops and for housing straw, farm equipment and occasionally livestock and their fodder. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MONASTERY * Houses specifically of monks, canons or religious men but not friars. back
monument TRACKWAY * A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers. 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
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record