Information for record number MWA8890:
Medieval settlement at Copston Magna

Summary The Medieval village of Copston Magna was a small, planned settlement close to the Danelaw boundary. The layout of the settlement is still partially visible as an earthwork.
What Is It?  
Type: Village
Period: Early medieval - medieval (801 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Copston Magna
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 45 88
(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 At Copston Magna an ovoid outer boundary contains fairly regular plots, including the church, which front onto a main street. The plan of Copston Magna seems to be much denuded of its regularity but former plot boundaries remain as earthworks on the east side of the street. Copston, along with Wibtoft are located on the wolds, close to the Danelaw boundary. They are small but planned settlements which have place-name elements suggesting Scandinavian influences. Copston Magna was possibly carved out of land that was formally part of Wolvey.
2 The extent of the Medieval settlement can be seen on the OS 1st edition map of 1886.
3 Ridge and furrow plotting of the parish.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph Transcript
Title: Copston Magna parish
Author/originator: ARI
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Map
Title: 18NW 1:10560 1886
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1886
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP18NE
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Bridging the Gap: Recent Research on Rural and Urban Settlement Forms in Medieval Warwickshire
Author/originator: Lilley K
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 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 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 BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PLANNED SETTLEMENT * A settlement built to a pre-determined plan, including housing, infrastructure and associated amenities. 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