Information for record number MWA5485:
Combe Abbey Church

Summary The site of the Medieval church associated with Combe Abbey. The results of archaeological excavations suggest that the church was situated to the south of the Abbey cloisters.
What Is It?  
Type: Church
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Combe Fields
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 40 79
(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 Excavation on probable site of abbey church in advance of redevelopment. From the present layout of the grounds and cloister remains it appears that the church lay S of the claustral complex. A newspaper report of the 1860s mentions church remains coming to light during landscaping in this area. No monastic masonry was found, but the whole area was covered with a layer of decayed green sandstone containing floor- and roof- tile and painted glass. It is likely that Lord Harington, during conversion of the abbey in the late 16th century, levelled the church for gardens and that it was finally destroyed in 1864 when the moat was dug through its E-W axis. A row of oolitic limestone coffins were found with heads to the S and covering 19th century pottery. These were presumably disturbed and reburied when the moat was constructed. The material recovered and a plan were deposited in Coventry Museum.
2 An historical outline of the abbey.
3 An architectural history of the Cistercian abbey.
4 A plan of the recorded walls of the Cistercian abbey in relation to the present buildings. The church walls were discovered during the digging of the moat and therefore mostly destroyed.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Medieval Archaeology: Medieval Britain in 1965
Author/originator: D M Wilson and D G Hurst
Date: 1966
Page Number: 168-219
Volume/Sheet: 10
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Combe Abbey, Coventry, Warwickshire. An archaeological assessment.
Author/originator: Coventry Museum
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Combe Abbey, Coventry, Warwickshire. An archaeological assessment.
Author/originator: Coventry Museum
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Plan
Title: Combe Abbey, Coventry, Warwickshire. An archaeological assessment.
Author/originator: Coventry Museum
Date: 1991
Page Number: 19
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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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 LAYER * An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument COFFIN * A chest made of stone, wood or lead, used to enclose a dead body. 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 FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader 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 ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CLOISTER * A covered walk, walled on one side and usually arcaded on the other, surrounding or partly surrounding an open area in a monastery or similar complex of Christian buildings. back
monument MUSEUM * A building, group of buildings or space within a building, where objects of value such as works of art, antiquities, scientific specimens, or other artefacts are housed and displayed. back
monument GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ROW * A row of buildings built during different periods, as opposed to a TERRACE. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record