Information for record number MWA3592:
Site of Copston Parva Deserted Medieval Settlement

Summary The site of the Medieval deserted settlement of Copston Parva. The settlement is known from documentary evidence. It was situated 1km east of Wolvey Heath.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wolvey
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 44 88
(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 Dugdale records that N from Wolvey lies Copston Parva, now a depopulated place and only known by the name of Copston Fields. Here was a chapel (PRN 5474). Area centred SP445890.
2 Location unknown (U), small quantity of documentary evidence for village's former existence.
3 A Field at about the above grid reference is called 'The Township'.
4 The Wolvey Historical Society have been Fieldwalking the site during 1985 and 1986. Although all traces of earthworks have been lost, surface traces of the village survive in the form of a dense concentration of Medieval pottery at the above grid reference.
5 The site was walked with a grid of twenty metre squares. The density of material, particularly pottery, indicates that this is the site of a deserted Medieval village or hamlet. The pottery is predominantly in sandy wares of an oxidised nature - probably Coventry products. Nuneaton A wares also occur and the pottery is probably broadly c1250-1300 with intrusive sherds of Midland Purple (c1350-1450). A piece of daub and fragment of roof tile were also found. The settlement was probably of mid 13th century to early/mid 15th century. The pottery scatter is about 60/70 by 80m and this could indicate that the site was a small hamlet. Alternatively the gridded area may only represent a part of the site. Depopulation probably occurred in the late 14th century/early 15th century. The settlement was probably poor with timber, daub and thatch houses.
6 Negative archaeological observation at Copston Lodge Farm on the site of the Medieval settlement in March 1994.
7 Fieldwalking in the Field south of the Farm recorded a big spread of Medieval pottery. 786 sherds were recorded, concentrated in the north-west quadrant of the area and in parts of the north-east quadrant. Analysis of the pottery by Stephanie Ratkai suggested occupation on the site from possibly the 12th century but certainly from the first half of the 13th century. This occupation continued up until the 16th century, although most of the sherds dated to the 13th century. The pottery found was mostly locally produced with a majority of the sherds from cooking pots. Scatters of Stockingford Shale slate and roof tile, including glazed roof tile were collected from the north-east quadrant of the site, suggesting some buildings of status in this area.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: DMRG vol 16 1968
Author/originator:
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 16
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Wolvey
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1989
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Map
Title: Map 1818
Author/originator:
Date: 1818
Page Number: Z168(U)
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 37 (1994)
Author/originator: White, R (ed)
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 37
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Serial
Title: Medieval Settlement Research Group Annual Report 21, 2006
Author/originator: MSRG
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
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: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA vol 29 1986
Author/originator: Hingley R C
Date: 1986
Page Number: 56
Volume/Sheet: 29
   
Images:  
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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
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 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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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 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 LODGE * A small building, often inhabited by a gatekeeper, gamekeeper or similar. Use specific type where known. back
monument HAMLET * Small settlement with no ecclesiastical or lay administrative function. 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 DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument TOWNSHIP * Cluster of dwellings of medieval or later date (Scots) back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 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 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