Information for record number MWA6400:
Medieval settlement at Compton Verney

Summary Trial trenching at Compton Verney revealed the well preserved remains of Compton Murdak, a Medieval village which is known to have been deserted during the 15th century. Medieval pottery was also found during a fieldwalking survey.
What Is It?  
Type: Deserted Settlement
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Compton Verney
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 31 52
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 In August and September 1991 the Warwickshire Museum undertook an archaeological evaluation at Compton Verney. Trial trenching revealed the well-preserved remains of deserted Medieval settlement dating to the period of the 13th-15th centuries. The house foundations and other features which were located are likely to be the remains of the village of Compton Murdak, which was probably deserted in the mid to late 15th century.
2 Pottery recovered during fieldwalking by Professor C Dyer in 1999 was of similar date (12th-15th century) and type to the pottery found during the excavations of 1991. The distribution of pottery suggests that in soil dumped in the 18th century during the creation of the lakes has sealed the Medieval village below in the area adjacent to the lake. Modern ploughing is not currently penetrating onto the Medieval site. The relatively high density of pottery to the north of the 1991 excavation indicates that the size of the Medieval settlement was larger than previously thought.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Compton Verney Opera House: Archaeological Evaluation
Author/originator: Warwickshire Museum
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Compton Verney, Warwickshire, 1999
Author/originator: Dyer C Prof
Date: 1999
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Excavation of a Medieval building at the deserted settlement of Compton Murdak
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1991
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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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period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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 LAKE * A large body of water surrounded by land. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument DESERTED SETTLEMENT * An abandoned settlement, usually of the Medieval period, often visible only as earthworks or on aerial photographs. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument MUSEUM * A building, group of buildings or space within a building, where objects of value such as works of art, antiquities, scientific specimens, or other artefacts are housed and displayed. back
monument OPERA HOUSE * An often ornately decorated theatre for the performance of opera. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record