Information for record number MWA6460:
Possible Extent of Medieval Settlement, Shipston on Stour

Summary The possible extent of the Medieval settlement of Shipston on Stour, identified through ridge and furrow earthworks on aerial photographs.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Ridge And Furrow, Market, Fair
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Shipston on Stour
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 25 40
(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: )
Listed Building (Grade: II)
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Possible extent of Medieval settlement at Shipston on Stour suggested by limit of ridge and furrow and field boundaries.
3 Aerial photographs.
4 Market granted for Saturdays on 28 June 1268 by Henry III to Prior of Worcester. To be held at Manor. Grant confirmed by Henry IV 15th November 1400 and by Edward IV on 20th November 1461. Market recorded in 1540 and 1573 it continued into the twentieth century. Fair Granted for vigil feast morrow Barnabas (11 June) on 28th June 1268 by Henry III to Bishop of Worcester. To be held at Manor. Grant confirmed by Henry IV on 15th November 1400 and by Edward IV on 20th November 1461. The Fair fell into disuse c. 1400.
5 Domesday lists Shipston under Worcestershire. The Phillimore edition gives a grid ref. of SP2540. Ref EW4 The Church (Worcester) holds Shipston itself. 2 hides paying tax. In lordship 2 ploughs. 15 villagers and 5 smallholders with 6 ploughs. 4 male slaves and 1 female slave; a mill at 10s; meadow, 16 acres. The value was and is 50s.
6 Evaluation at Springfield House suggests that ridge and furrow also lay across this site; this would suggest that the limit of Medieval Shipston lay to the north of this location.17
 
Sources

Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP24 NW
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1948
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP24NW
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: SP14NE
Author/originator: RAF
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 42:14NE
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title: NMR
Author/originator:
Date: 1945
Page Number: 7028
Volume/Sheet: 106G UK 1345
   
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: 6
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Springfield House, Old Road, Shipston-on-Stour, Archaeological Evaluation
Author/originator: D. Dodds
Date: 2002
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs to 1516 (Warwickshire)
Author/originator: Institute of Historical Research (CMH)
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Warwickshire
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
designation Listed Building Buildings and structures, such as bridges, that are of architectural or historical importance are placed on a statutory list. These buildings are protected by planning and conservation acts that ensure that their special features of interest are considered before any alterations are made to them.

Depending on how important the buildings are they are classed as Grade I, Grade II* or Grade II. Grade I buildings are those of exceptional interest. Grade II* are particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Those listed as Grade II are those buildings that are regarded of special interest.
back
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.
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
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument RIDGE AND FURROW * A series of long, raised ridges separated by ditches used to prepare the ground for arable cultivation. This was a technique, characteristic of the medieval period. back
monument MILL * A factory used for processing raw materials. Use more specific mill type where known. See also TEXTILE MILL, for more narrow terms. back
monument MARKET * An open space or covered building in which cattle, goods, etc, are displayed for sale. 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 ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 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 EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record