Information for record number MWA4266:
Possible Deserted Medieval Village SW of Brandon

Summary The possible site of a Medieval or Post Medieval deserted settlement is located to the south west of Brandon. The remains of the settlement are visible as earthworks.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement
Period: Medieval - Post-Medieval (1066 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Brandon and Bretford
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 40 76
(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  

2 A field on the right of the track from Brandon Lodge to Brandon Hall on the one side, sloping to the Royal Oak (Public House) on the other shows many ground disturbances of varying shapes and sizes which could be signs of an earlier settlement. In his article "The Deserted Villages of Warwickhire", Mr Beresford mentions "...the Court of Star Chamber had before it gentry concerned in the destruction of houses and conversion of tillage at...Brandon..." This may provide further evidence for the earthworks.
3 Archaeolofical Observation during topsoil stripping at Hill Farm to the north revealed a large amount of 12th-13th century pottery and some Post Medieval pottery and metal objects.
4 Ditches and banks apparent on aerial photographs were mapped as part of the English Heritage National Mapping Project.
5 Evaluation conducted at Hill Farm recorded that the medieval settlement known from the west side of main Street would also have extended across to the eastern side of the street. The core of the settlement would have been along Main Street, with the shrunken remains of the Village surviving to the south-west.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP4076 Frame 1
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 24 Oct 2002
Page Number: Frame 1
Volume/Sheet: SP4076
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 66
Author/originator: Beresford M W
Date: 1945-6
Page Number: 59-60
Volume/Sheet: 66
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation at Hill Farm, Brandon
Author/originator: Coutts, C & Jones, C
Date: 1998
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observations at Hill Farm, Brandon
Author/originator: Coutts C
Date: 1999
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 9902
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Site Visit
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Hartell J
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 2832
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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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
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 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 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 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 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 DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument PUBLIC HOUSE * The public house was a 19th century development, distinctive from the earlier BEER HOUSE by its decorative treatment and fittings. back
monument SIGN * A board, wall painting or other structure displaying advice, giving information or directions 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