Information for record number MWA3247:
Site of Post Medieval Bridge at Purlieu Lane

Summary Documentary evidence suggests that this is the site of a Post Medieval bridge associated with Kenilworth Castle. It was built of timber across the north arm of the Mere. The site lies to the north of Castle Green.
What Is It?  
Type: Road Bridge
Period: Post-medieval (1540 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Kenilworth
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 72
(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 Laneham mentions a great wooden bridge built across the great N arm of the Mere. Laneham records that Lord Leicester built a 'fayre tymbred bridge' 14 feet (4.2m) wide and 600 feet (183m) long, railed on both sides and reaching from the Chase to the Castle. This bridge seems to have been on the route of the Lane stretching between Castle Green and the Pleasaunce, known locally as Pearly (Purlieu) Lane. There is now a causeway across what was the N arm of the pool. A letter of 1605 suggests that the bridge had already fallen into decay.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 84
Author/originator: Drew J H
Date: 1970
Page Number: 155-6
Volume/Sheet: 84
   
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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
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 Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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monument POOL * A small body of water, either natural or artificial. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument CAUSEWAY * A road or pathway raised above surrounding low, wet or uneven ground. back
monument ROAD BRIDGE * A bridge carrying a road over land or water. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record