Information for record number MWA632:
Shrunken Medieval Settlement of Nether Itchington

Summary The deserted settlement of Nether Itchington which dates to the Medieval period. It is known from documentary sources. Earthworks survive which may represent house platforms and cropmarks are visible on aerial photographs. It is located 1km south of Bishop's Itchington.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement, House, Hollow Way
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Bishops Itchington
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 39 56
(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 Lower Itchington. At Old Town Farm traces of buildings once existed. Lower Itchington was once more important than Bishops Itchington and contained the church (PRN 829), but Thomas Fisher purchased the manor in 1537 and pulled down the church to build the manor house (PRN 6181) and depopulated the village. Houses survived on the site into the Post Medieval period (PRN 6182). Many old coins, bones, musket balls and foundations of stone were found in 1849, no doubt relics of the destroyed village. A detailed manorial history survives and is described in the VCH. In the 12th century the manor was in the hands of Coventry Priory and was later a possession of the Bishop of Coventry. In 1259 Bishop Morlend was granted a weekly market and an annual fair.
2 The village was returned as depopulated in 1607. Old Town Farm marks the site of the lost Nether Itchington and it is surrounded by fields named in the 1845 Tithe Award as 'Old Town fields'.
3 Examination of air cover shows disturbance to the E of Old Town Farm centred on SP3956. This includes a pond bay (PRN 6183) and other features.
4 Traces of the church survive in the manor house (PRN 829, 6181). The earthworks mentioned by the OS to the E of the site include a fishpond and other platforms, ditches and banks, possibly indicating the site of Medieval Houses.
6 These earthworks are fairly amorphous and the supposed platforms may relate to disturbance or quarrying rather than occupation.
7 Aerial photographs show a number of rectangular stone walled buildings as crop marks at about SP3956. These presumably represent part of the Medieval village. A moated site (PRN 6184) is also indicated.
8 Poor archaelogical survival (C), excellent documentary evidence (1*).
9 Described.
10 Transcript of
7 in FI file.
11 Photographs showing features relating to the Medieval settlement.
12 A Medieval and/or Post Medieval settlement is visible as both earthworks and cropmarks on Aerial photographs. The site as a whole is centred on SP 39424 56301 and extends over an area which measures 395m north-south and 265m east-west. The earthworks to the east of Old Town Farm are centred on SP 39477 56411 and extend over an area which measures 195m east-west and 195m north south. The site comprises a hollow way or possible leat, three probable ponds, one or possibly two pillow mounds, a croft and a possible pond which has been levelled on Aerial photographs taken in 1999. The ponds are defined by linear banks, and measure from between 90m by 45m to 35m by 23m. The croft is defined by a pair of linear banks, one of which has been levelled by the time aerial photographs were taken in 1999. It measured circa 60m by 80m. The levelled pond is defined by an amorphous depression at SP 39447 56411. It is visible in 1946 but levelled in 1999. The cropmarks to the south of Old Town Farm are centred on SP 39335 56239. These comprise approxiamtely 4 rectilinear buildings, possibly Houses or stables. There are circa 5 adjacent areas of hard standing which may be paved areas or the result of collapsed building material. The moated site is located circa 200m to the south of Old Town Farm, is centred on SP 39407 56131 and is visible as cropmarks. Three sides of a rectilinear moat are visible, with the River Itchen appearing to form the fourth side. The moat covers an area which measures 62m long by 47m wide. The probable manor house is defined by substantial walls, and appears to have a number of ranges, rooms and wings. A pair of areas of hard standing are visible to the west of the manor. A pair of trackways are visible to the south of the moat, defined as both a ditch and a bank.
 
Sources
Source No: 7
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP3956
Author/originator: NMR
Date: 1986
Page Number: D-F
Volume/Sheet: SP3956
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Aerial Photograph Transcript
Title: Nether Itchington DMV
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number: D-F
Volume/Sheet: SP3956
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: WMA
Author/originator: Trollope K
Date: 1987
Page Number: 42-44
Volume/Sheet: 30
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 6, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1951
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: VI
   
Source No: 12
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds NMP Project
Author/originator: Russell Priest
Date: 2010-2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Photograph
Title: Nether Itchington DMV
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Plan
Title: Nether Itchington DMV
Author/originator: Trollope K
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Fieldwork Questionna
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 66
Author/originator: Beresford M W
Date: 1945
Page Number: 99
Volume/Sheet: 66
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Deserted Medieval Villages Research Group
Author/originator:
Date: 1958
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 6
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Nether Itchington, DMVRG
Author/originator: Trollope K
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. 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 VCH The Victoria County History of the Counties of England. This publication covers the history of each county in England. For Warwickshire, seven volumes were published between 1904 and 1964. They comprise a comprehensive account of the history of each town and village in the county, and important families connected to local history. Each volume is organised by 'hundred', an Anglo-Saxon unit of land division. The Victoria County History also contains general chapters about Warwickshire's prehistory, ecclesiastical and economic history. A copy of each volume is held at 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 Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. 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.
 		back
technique Cropmark Cropmarks appear as light and dark marks in growing and ripening crops. These marks relate to differences in the soil below. For example, parched lines of grass may indicate stone walls. Crops that grow over stone features often ripen more quickly and are shorter than the surrounding crop. This is because there is less moisture in the soil where the wall lies.

more -> 		back
technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. back
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.
more -> 		back
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).
more -> 		back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. back
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 SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument MARKET * An open space or covered building in which cattle, goods, etc, are displayed for sale. 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 FAIR * A site where a periodical gathering of buyers, sellers and entertainers, meet at a time ordained by charter or statute or by ancient custom. back
monument MOAT * A wide ditch surrounding a building, usually filled with water. Use for moated sites, not defensive moats. Use with relevant site type where known, eg. MANOR HOUSE, GARDEN, etc. back
monument DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument POND BAY * Form of dam, usually associated with ponds supplying water for blast furnaces. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument LEAT * Artificial water channel, usually leading to a mill. back
monument PILLOW MOUND * A pillow-shaped, flat topped rectangular mound often surrounded by a shallow ditch used to farm rabbits. 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 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 CROFT * An enclosed piece of land adjoining a house. back
monument HOUSE PLATFORM * An area of ground on which a house is built. A platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a house. back
monument HARD STANDING * A purpose-built area of hard material of indeterminate use. back
monument STABLE * A building in which horses are accommodated. back
monument TRACKWAY * A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers. back
monument FARM * A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. 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
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument HOLLOW WAY * A way, path or road through a cutting. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record