Information for record number MWA6311:
Nuneaton Priory Church

Summary The site of the Medieval church at Nuneaton Priory, parts of which have been incorporated in to the later church of St. Mary. The site lies on the east side of Manor Court Road, Nuneaton.
What Is It?  
Type: Church
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Nuneaton and Bedworth
District: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 35 92
(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  

1 The Church of St Mary (MWA6316) incorporates ancient remains of the Nunnery Church. The Nunnery Church was cruciform with a central tower, a vaulted presbytery and north and south transepts, being each of two bays. The nave was of six bays, of which four served as the nun's quire and the two west bays as the Brothers' quire. The eastern parts of the Church were probably erected c1155-9 and were followed by the nave. Early in the 13th century the central tower fell.
2 A set of nine tiles forming a wheel of fortune, laid to form part of the floor of the Sanctuary.
3 Ordnance Survey card, description as above.
4 Description of St Mary's Priory.
5 Work was carried out by D. Andrews for DoE Central Excavation Unit. An area excavated to the southof the cloister adjacent to the Abbey Grange Hotel produced no evidence of occupation beyond some post-holes and a robbed wall. It seems certain that the medieval stratigraphy had been removed in the course of levelling. In the vicarage garden where the remains of the cloister, brewhouse and misericord.
6 Scheduling revision.
 
Sources

Source No: 5
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Medieval Archaeology: Medieval Britain in 1981
Author/originator: S M Youngs and J Clark
Date: 1982
Page Number: 164-227
Volume/Sheet: 26
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: St. Mary's Priory, Nuneaton
Author/originator: Jenkinson H
Date: 1922
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: St Mary's Priory
   
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: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: TBAS vol 65
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1943
Page Number: 126-7
Volume/Sheet: 65
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NE1
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1967
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NE1
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Priory of St Mary, Nuneaton
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
The ruins of the medieval church at Nuneaton Priory
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1900s
Click here for larger image  
 
A view of the ruins of Nuneaton Priory and St Mary's Church
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1900s
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 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
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 HOTEL * A large building used for the accommodation of paying travellers and guests. back
monument GRANGE * An outlying farm or estate, usually belonging to a religious order or feudal lord. Specifically related to core buildings and structures associated with monastic land holding. Use specific term where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument VICARAGE * The residence of a vicar, parson or rector. back
monument BREWHOUSE * An outbuilding containing brewing equipment, as opposed to a large commercial BREWERY. Often found in conjunction with public houses, country houses etc. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument NUNNERY * Houses specifically of nuns/canonesses or religious women. back
monument TOWER * A tall building, either round, square or polygonal in plan, used for a variety of purposes, including defence, as a landmark, for the hanging of bells, industrial functions, etc. 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 ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. 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 SANCTUARY * A sacred area of a building or a consecrated piece of land. 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 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 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