Information for record number MWA51:
Curdworth Bridge - remains of

Summary The remains of Curdworth Bridge which was built during the Post Medieval period. The site is located 300m south of Spring Farm.
What Is It?  
Type: Road Bridge
Period: Post-medieval (1540 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Curdworth
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 18 91
(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 Tradition has it that the then-existing bridge was built by John Vesey, Bishop of Exeter, during the reign of Edward VI in 1553. It was reputedly built of stone brought from the manor house of Sutton.
2 From the visible remains, it seems similar to Water Orton bridge (built by Vesey - see MWA32).
3 Remains of 16th century bridge consist of 3 piers, which protrude a little above the water level. The south pier is just visible in the river bank, the centre pier is complete, and only part of the north pier remains.
4 The existing bridge (MWA52) was built in 1836 when the road was diverted, and is located downstream of the original structure. The foundations of the old bridge can be seen at low water-level. An illustration of the earlier bridge (probably that built by Bishop Vesey) appears in the Aylesford Collection and shows it to be of six arches with cutwater piers, similar to Water Orton.
5 The River Tame has been realigned west of the modern bridge and no traces remain of the earlier bridge.
6 A site visit on 31/1/92 failed to locate any trace of this bridge.
7 archaeological observation at Curdworth bridge recorded no evidence for the 16th century bridge which is known to have once stood upstream of the current bridge, built in 1836. The observation did record evidence for a narrow gauge railway or tramway once associated with the sewage works. The bridge appears to have fallen into disrepair by 1633 when, in Michelmas Sessions, the inhabitants of Curdworth were presented for not repairing the bridge or the causeway leading to it. By Easter 1674 the bridge was recorded as being in great decay and speedy repairs were required.
8 Possible Civil War skirmish site.
 
Sources
Source No: 8
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 2, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Page W (ed)
Date: 1908
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 2
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Antiquities of Warwickshire
Author/originator: Dugdale W
Date: 1730
Page Number: 1056
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No:
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: Historic Road Bridges in Warwickshire
Author/originator: N.Palmer and G. Booth
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation at Curdworth Bridge, Curdworth, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Coutts C
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 19SE11
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1953
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 19SE11
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 19SE11
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1953
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 19SE11
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 69
Author/originator: E S Sapcote
Date: 1953
Page Number: 37
Volume/Sheet: 69
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: Hodgson J C
Date: 1992
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
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
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.
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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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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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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 CIVIL * This is the top term for the class. See CIVIL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument MANOR HOUSE * The principal house of a manor or village. back
monument ARCH * A structure over an opening usually formed of wedge-shaped blocks of brick or stone held together by mutual pressure and supported at the sides; they can also be formed from moulded concrete/ cast metal. A component; use for free-standing structure only. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument PIER * A structure of iron or wood, open below, running out into the sea and used as a promenade and landing stage. back
monument SEWAGE WORKS * A group of buildings in which local sewage is filtered and purified in large rectangular or circular tanks. 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 TRAMWAY * A track inlaid into a surface, on which tram cars run for the conveyance of passengers and/or goods or raw materials. 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
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument SPRING * A point where water issues naturally from the rock or soil onto the ground or into a body of surface water. 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 RAILWAY * A line or track consisting of iron or steel rails, on which passenger carriages or goods wagons are moved, usually by a locomotive engine. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record