Information for record number MWA6275:
Thelsford Priory Church

Summary Archaeological excavation revealed the church at Thelsford Priory which was built during the Medieval period. It had a cloister and appears to have been constructed of limestone and sandstone. Some floor tiles were still in place. It was situated 700m south east of Wasperton.
What Is It?  
Type: Church
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Charlecote
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 58
(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 Excavated in 1966. The church was built entirely of stone.
2 The church was located to the E of the site. It was cruciform with cloisters in the SW angle of the transepts and was possibly of at least three periods. The walls appeared to have been limestone and blocks of green sandstone, many fragments of which were found during excavation. A small area 8.5m by 3.9m was opened up to ascertain the state of the walls. The main walls were mostly robbed out, but the floor levels were preserved with very fine tile impressions and a few floor tiles remained in position. There was a quantity of decorated window glass and window leading and also a piece of fabric which may contain gold thread. The trial trench located three graves at the E end of the church. One contained a lead-encased skeleton, another was covered by a broken yellow sandstone grave-slab which had traces of a foliate cross. All three were left in situ. At the W end was a large brick-built tomb, which was badly robbed. There was a further tomb at the N exterior of the church, and in this area was evidence for 16th-17th century stone robbing. The floors of the church were left in situ and therefore it was not possible to date the various periods of construction.
3 Area of SAM revised 1996. The 13th century church was probably a single-celled rectangular building when first constructed. It was then extended E, probably in the 14th century, to create a cruciform plan, which is still preserved beneath the ground.
4Priory of the short-lived Augustinian order of the Holy Sepulchre, founded prior to 1200. After 1214, a hospital is recorded there for the relief of the poor and reception of pilgrims. It appears to have been granted to the Trinitarians in 1214, but did not come into their full possession until after 1224. It was dissolved in 1538. excavations have located the church, which although robbed of walling, was shown to be of three periods. It was cruciform in plan, and the claustral complex extended South from the South-West angle of the transept. trial trenching located other buildings to the West and North of the church, but these were either timber or timber on stone footings. Two fishponds are extant as earthworks connected by a stone sluice. There is evidence of a precinct wall to the South. A prehistoric ditch was also found during the excavations.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: ASVRP
Author/originator: Grey M
Date: 1966
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: WMANS no 9 1966
Author/originator: Grey M
Date: 1966
Page Number: 3
Volume/Sheet: 9
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: National Monument Record (Pastscape)
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM Description
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 1996
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 21578
   
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 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 Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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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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technique Trial Trench A small regular hole that is usually square or rectangular in shape. Archaeologists dig trial trenches to discover if there are any archaeological remains at a particular location. See also excavation. back
period Prehistoric About 500,000 BC to 42 AD

The Prehistoric period covers all the periods from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age.
This is a time when people did not write anything down so there is no documentary evidence for archaeologists to look at. Instead, the archaeologists look at the material culture belonging to the people and the places where they lived for clues about their way of life.

The Prehistoric period is divided into the Early Prehistoric and Later Prehistoric.
The Early Prehistoric period covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.
The Later Prehistoric period covers Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times.
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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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. 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 FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument GRAVE * A place of burial. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PRIORY * A monastery governed by a prior or prioress. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, FRIARY, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. 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 HOSPITAL * An establishment providing medical or surgical treatment for the ill or wounded. Use narrower term where possible. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument SLUICE * A dam which can be raised or lowered to regulate the flow of water. back
monument CROSS * A free-standing structure, in the form of a cross (+), symbolizing the structure on which Jesus Christ was crucified and sacred to the Christian faith. Use specific type where known. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument TOMB * A grave or sepulchre including a monument. Use specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument PRECINCT WALL * A wall enclosing a precinct. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record