Information for record number MWA6255:
Excavation of Post Medieval Manor House at Bermuda

Summary During an excavation the remains of a manor house were found. The house was probably built during the Medieval period. It was located at Bermuda.
What Is It?  
Type: House, Manor House, Timber Framed House
Period: Medieval - Post-Medieval (1066 AD - 1750 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Nuneaton and Bedworth
District: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 35 89
(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 A possible manor house of the Knights Templars and Knights Hospitallers existed here (PRN 1666). For a more likely site see PRN 6342. A number of tenants are known in the late 15th/early 16th century. In 1567 a 'capital house called the Temple' is recorded, with a barn, barn yard, chapel yard and dove house. After this the manor changed hands, but the Temple house is recorded in 1632 and manorial records survive until the mid 19th century.
2 A house thought to be the manor house was demolished in 1681 in barne Meadow.
3 1967: An excavation on possible site of the Templars' manor. Scattered traces were found of timber farm buildings probably Medieval in date but there was no sign of any dwelling house.
4 1970: An area of 100 sq yds was stripped. A timber-framed building was found erected on an area artificially levelled. The building was of three bays and was 6.7m by about 14.6m. It had a circular oven in its SW corner and two fireplaces at its E end. It was constructed in the 14th century and incorporated and overlay material from an earlier building (PRN 1666). The timber-framed building had fallen into ruin by the middle years of the 17th century after which the site was much disturbed by mining operations.
5 Some post-Medieval deposits similar to those previously excavated were identified during evaluation across parts of this site in 2004.
6 Further to evaluation (see
5), area excavation was carried out adjacent to areas of the site previously excavated by Birmingham University, Atherstone Archaeological Society and Martin Wilson. The earliest evidence of activity on the site was in the form of large stone packed postholes and the ephemeral remains of masonry walls, probably associated with the Templar occupation of the site. In a later Medieval phase a building with stone foundation replaced this structure, and further structures associated with cobbled yards and a trackway were recorded to the east. Large amounts of 13th-14th century Medieval pottery, probably from the nearby Chilverscoton kilns, were found associated with these remains. A series of stream channels were managed throughout the Medieval period, and in the southern part of the site a pond was formed. Timber stakes and a substantial dump of stone, forming what may have been a bridge abutment, revetted one bank of the pond. A further stone feature to the south may have been a related collapsed pier base. In the later Medieval period a series of masonry structures, more ephemeral timber structures and cobbled areas are contemporary with the occupation of the site by the Hospitallers. Throughout the post-Medieval period the use of the site became increasingly industrial. Early in the post-Medieval period the industrial nature of the site presumably made it uninhabitable and the domestic buildings were abandoned. The utilisation of the site for a range of activities, largely associated with mining and brick production, led to extensive truncation of the earlier archaeological remains. In addition to this truncation, widespread robbing of the building stone from the site in antiquity resulted in the poor preservation of many of the structures on the site.
7 Version of
6 published in TBAS.
 
Sources
Source No: 6
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Bermuda Park, Nuneaton, County of Warwickshire: Archive Report
Author/originator: Eddisford D
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Archive Material
Author/originator: Gooder E A
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
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: 3
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMANS
Author/originator: Taylor S
Date: 1967
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 10
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Excavation Report: Possible Site of Knights Templars' Manor at Bermuda
Author/originator: Taylor S
Date: 1970
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Report on an Archaeological Evaluation at Bermuda Park, Nuneaton
Author/originator: Stephenson, A
Date: 2004
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Serial
Title: Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society (TBAS) Vol 114
Author/originator: Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeology Society
Date: 2011
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 114
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source Antiquity Antiquity is a journal about archaeological research and is published four times each year. The journal includes articles about archaeology from all over the world, from the Palaeolithic to the present. Each issue includes an editorial, brief reports, current news in colour, research papers and notes, full review coverage of new archaeological books and occasional special sections on selected topics. 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 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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monument YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument UNIVERSITY * A group of colleges and associated buildings belonging to a university. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument OVEN * A brick, stone or iron receptacle for baking bread or other food in. back
monument KILN * A furnace or oven for burning, baking or drying. Use 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument DWELLING * Places of residence. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. 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 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 MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. back
monument CHAPEL * A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. 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 FARM BUILDING * A building or structure of unknown function found on a farm. Use more specific type where known. back
monument BARN * A building for the storage and processing of grain crops and for housing straw, farm equipment and occasionally livestock and their fodder. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument SIGN * A board, wall painting or other structure displaying advice, giving information or directions back
monument TRACKWAY * A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers. back
monument TIMBER FRAMED HOUSE * A house constructed with a basic timber framework; between the members are panels which can be infilled with timber, wattle and daub, plaster, brick or other materials. back
monument STREAM * A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument TEMPLE * Use for places of worship. For later landscape features use, eg. GARDEN TEMPLE. back
monument DOMESTIC * This is the top term for the class. See DOMESTIC Class List for narrow terms. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record