Information for record number MWA5646:
Site of Cloisters of Polesworth Abbey, Polesworth

Summary The site of the cloisters of Polesworth Abbey dating to the Medieval period. They were located to the east of the present church.
What Is It?  
Type: Monastery, Cloister, Arcade, Cloister Garth, Wall
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Polesworth
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SK 26 02
(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
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The cloisters were S of the nuns' quire. A 12th century doorway still survives just E of the present nave and S of the modern chancel. This would have been an entrance from the N end of the W alley. Another doorway further E in a wall returning S marks the cloisters as being about 22.8m from E to W. In line with, and further S of, the latter doorway was formerly the entrance to the Chapter House, which was in existence until the early 19th century.
2 In 1959 the Coal Board altered the course of the River Anker and revealed masonry S of the church. A hurried excavation was undertaken. The masonry may indicate the site of the reredorter of the nunnery.
6 A programme of recording and observation was undertaken by Warwickshire Museum Field Services group between 2002-2006. A reburied medieval stone coffin and part of a brick vault was recorded in the interior of the church, during the excavation of a statue base. medieval and later masonry was recorded during limited excavation outside the church. This may have belonged either to a monastic range west of the west range to the cloister, perhaps part of the Abbess' Lodging, or to the west end of a building set against the church. An undercroft was also recorded.
7 Geophysical survey carried out in September 2007 across the supposed cloister area in the vicarage garden. It revealed blocks of probable building remains to the south of the probable frater, to the east of the site of the Chapter House and north of the redorter excavated in 1959.
8 A programme of archaeological investigation accompanied restoration of the north and east walls of the abbey cloister. Four in situ burials were recorded. The cloister arcade foundations had been removed by post-dissolution landscaping, although the width of the north alley was estimated at c.3.2m based on the extent of the burials. Further information on the post-medieval rebuilding of the cloister walls was obtained. Some 13th century grave slabs and 12th century and later architectural details reused in later walls were recorded.
9 Investigations in 2011 revealed the foundations for the outer wall of the eastern cloister. The foundations have a variation in their construction methodology which is thought to mark a division within the range.
10 Investigations on the site of the cloisters was carried out in 2012 as part of a community project at the abbey. The southwest corner, southern arcade alley and part of the garth (cloister garden) where revealed, confirming that the cloister was circa 28m square with an arcade 3.25m wide. The foundations of a stone wall appended to the arcade projected into the cloister garth which may have formed part of a small structure.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 89
Author/originator: Mytum H C
Date: 1978-9
Page Number: Fig 2
Volume/Sheet: 89
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 89
Author/originator: Mytum H C
Date: 1978-9
Page Number: Fig 2
Volume/Sheet: 89
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 4, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Archaeological excavations at St Editha's Parish Church, Polesworth, Warwickshire August - September 2011 Preliminary Report
Author/originator: Holmes, Mark
Date: 2013
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 13/12
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Polesworth Abbey Cloister: Trial trenching & recording of masonry repairs
Author/originator: Palmer N and Jamieson E
Date: 2001
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 0128
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Recording at Polesworth Abbey, Warwickshire 2002-2006
Author/originator: N Palmer and C Coutts
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Serial
Title: West Midlands Archaeology Vol 55
Author/originator: CBA West Midlands
Date: 2013
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMA (West Midlands Archaeology) vol 50
Author/originator: CBA West Midlands
Date: 2007
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: AM7 for Polesworth Abbey
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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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 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 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 Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image 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 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 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.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument CHAPTER HOUSE * The building attached to a cathedral or collegiate church where the dean, prebendaries or monks and canons met for the transaction of business. back
monument COFFIN * A chest made of stone, wood or lead, used to enclose a dead body. back
monument VICARAGE * The residence of a vicar, parson or rector. 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 NUNNERY * Houses specifically of nuns/canonesses or religious women. back
monument VAULT * An underground room or building with an arched roof, often used as a burial chamber. Use wider site type where known. back
monument PARISH CHURCH * The foremost church within a parish. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. 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 FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 CLOISTER GARTH * The open space surrounded by a cloister. back
monument GRAVE SLAB * A stone used to cover a grave. 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 BURIAL * An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches. 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 STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument MONASTERY * Houses specifically of monks, canons or religious men but not friars. back
monument UNDERCROFT * A vault or crypt under a church or chapel. Use wider site type where known. back
monument ALLEY * A passageway or lane between buildings. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument STATUE * A representation in the round of a living being, allegorical personage, eminent person or animal, etc, sculptured, moulded or cast in marble, metal, plaster, etc. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record