Information for record number MWA5520:
Site of Post Medieval Mansion at Priory Park

Summary The remains of The Priory, a Post Medieval house located in Priory Park. Information about the building has been retrieved from excavation, documents and the remains of the building left in the Park. Much of it was dismantled and taken to America to be re-erected in 1925.
What Is It?  
Type: House
Period: Post-medieval (1540 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Warwick
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 28 65
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Picture(s) attached

 
Description

 
Source Number  

3 Scheduled as Warwickshire Monument No 172.
4 The Priory (PRN 1958) came after the Dissolution into the hands of Thomas Hawkins, who demolished the greater part of the Priory and utilised the materials for the construction of a mansion completed in 1556. In 1925 the shell of this house was removed to Richmond, Virginia, for re-erection; the only remains now are a fragment of the ground floor with a mullioned and transomed window and part of an 18th century addition.
5 Scheduling information.
6 Archaeological evaluation report. The trenches revealed part of the wall of the north range and other garden and outbuilding features.
7 Recording of the runined South wall of the North range of the post-monastic mansion house was carried out by N. Palmer. The range which dates to the mid-to late 16th century, was brick built with stone details indicating several phases of alteration. The North range was mostly demolished in 1925, along with the greater part of the house. The 18th century pavillion survivied to the 1970s, when the existing CRO was built. (Awaiting final report therefore event not mapped - A. Hatcher)
8 Revision of the SAM.
9 Further report on work carried out in December 2005, under
7. Contains further architectural details recorded.
10 A rubble layer was recorded below the topsoil during monitoring of a new fence being installed around the County Record Office, probably deriving from the 1925 demolition of the 18th-century wing of the manor house.
11 Detailed information on the development of the house, from Thomas Hawkins up until its relocation to Virginia.
 
Sources

Source No: 7
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Post-Medieval Archaeology: Post-Medieval Fieldwork in Britain and Northern Ireland in 2005
Author/originator: M Ponsford
Date: 2006
Page Number: 316-410
Volume/Sheet: 40:2
   
Source No: 1
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: 11
Source Type: Conservation Plan
Title: Warwick Priory: A Conservation Statement
Author/originator: Palmer N
Date: 1999
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Version 1.0
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMANS
Author/originator: WJF
Date: 1971
Page Number: 31
Volume/Sheet: 14
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological evaluation at the County Record Office, Warwick Priory, Warwick
Author/originator: Palmer N
Date: 2000
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 0016
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological observation of new fencing around the County Record Office, Warwick Priory, Warwick
Author/originator: N Palmer
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NE1
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1967
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NE1
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Serial
Title: West Midlands Archaeology vol 48
Author/originator: S Watt (ed.)
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Priory of the Holy Sepulchre, Warwick
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM List 1983
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: St Sepulchre's Priory
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1999
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Excavation of a Post Medieval house in Priory Park
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Click here for larger image  
 
The excavation of a Post Medieval house in Priory Park, Warwick
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 2002
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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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 SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. back
source WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
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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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 FIELDWORK * A usually temporary earthwork or fortification, the latter constructed by military forces operating in the field. Use more specific type where known. back
monument LAYER * An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. 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 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 PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument PRIORY * A monastery governed by a prior or prioress. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, FRIARY, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument OUTBUILDING * A detached subordinate building. Use specific type where known, eg. DAIRY. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument MANSION HOUSE * Traditionally the chief residence of a land owner. Now used specifically to describe the residence of the Lord Mayor of London. 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 RECORD OFFICE * A building where official archives are kept for public inspection. back
monument FENCE * A construction of wood or metal used to enclose an area of land, a building, etc. 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