Information for record number MWA6395:
Shrunken Medieval settlement at Willoughby

Summary The site of the Medieval shrunken village of Willoughby. The remains of the village are visible as earthworks. The site is located to the west of Willoughby.
What Is It?  
Type: Shrunken Village
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Willoughby
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 51 67
(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 Earthworks indicating the remains of a Medieval shrunken settlement were observed during a site visit.
2 The Earthworks have been photographed from the air.
3 Area extended slightly to the SE, to include Home Farm.
4 Archaeological work at The White House, Main Street suggests no Medieval buildings on that location.
5 Domesday lists Willoughby in Marton Hundred with 4 entries. The Phillimore edition has a grid reference of 51,67. Ref 17,34 Wulfric holds 1 1/2 virgates of land in Willoughby. Land for 1 plough. It is in lordship; 2 villagers with 1 smallholder. Meadow, 1 acre. The value was and is 10s. Wulfric also held it freely. Ref 17,37 Ordric holds 2 hides in Walcote, Willoughby and Calcutt. Land for 1 plough. In lordship however, 1 plough; 2 slaves; 4 villagers and 6 smallholders with 1 1/2 ploughs. Meadow, 6 acres. The value was 20s; now 30s. Ordric also held it freely. Ref 17,40 Leofgeat and Godwin hold 1/2 hide in Willoughby. Land for 1 plough. It is in lordship. Meadow 2 acres. The value was and is 10s. They also hold it themselves. Ref 18,1 Hugh of Grandmesnil holds in charge from the King 1 hide and the sixth part of 1 hide in (Hill) Morton and Willoughby. Land for 2 ploughs. 5 villagers with 1 smallholder who have 2 ploughs. The value was 20w; now 30s. Grimkell and Swein held it.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP5167
Author/originator: JCH-NJP
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP5167A-K
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Domesday Book Warwickshire incl Birmingham
Author/originator: Phillimore and Co Ltd
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Map
Title: 1st edition 6" maps. Medieval settlement evaluation.
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1880s
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Unpublished document
Author/originator: Hodgson J C
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Watching Brief Report
Title: Land at the Rear of 'The White House', Main Street, Willoughby
Author/originator: Bryn Gethin
Date: 2002
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source Domesday Book The Domesday Book was commissioned in December 1085 by William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. It contains records for about 13,000 medieval settlements in the English counties south of the rivers Ribble and Tees (the border with Scotland at the time). The Domesday Book is a detailed record of the lands and their resources that belonged to the king. It also records the identity of the landholders and their tenants. 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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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 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 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 SHRUNKEN VILLAGE * A settlement where previous house sites are now unoccupied, but often visible as earthworks, crop or soil marks. back
monument HIDE * A shelter, sometimes camouflaged, for the observation of birds and animals at close quarters. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. 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 EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record