Information for record number MWA9117:
Henley in Arden Medieval Settlement

Summary Probable extent of Medieval settlement in Henley in Arden as indicated on the Ordnance Survey map of 1886.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Market, Fair
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Henley in Arden
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 15 66
(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 The possible extent of Medieval settlement, based on the first edition 6" map of 1886, 31SE.
2 Henley is not listed in the Domesday survey.
3 The ridge and furrow plotting shows a small area of survival on the western side.
4 The 1886 map shows dense ribbon settlement each side of the main road. The plots are narrow and look regulated. No empty plots or orchards. On the western side there are small fields beyond the end of the plot gardens, that run up to the boundary line. The church [WA1226] dates from the C15th.
5 In 1334 Subsidy valued at £25.50. Market Charter, Tuesdays; granted 4 Feb 1251, by K Hen III to Hugh de Ardern. To be held at the manor. Fair Charter, vfm, Luke (18 Oct); granted 4 Feb 1251, by K Hen III to Hugh de Ardern. To be held at the manor.
6 Medieval Henley developed as a trading centre for the earlier settlement of Beaudesert to the east. The first reference to Henley occurs in 1185. It is likely that the original Market lay in or close to the castle but then moved to a site to the west on the main road from Stratford to Birmingham. In 1220 another charter was granted for a Monday Market at Henley, but when this was confirmed in 1226 the location is described as Beaudesert, which may mean that the names were interchangeable. Whatever the case it is clear that when the De Montforts decide, either in the late 12th-century or in 1220 to develop trade in the area further by creating a new town based on the Market it was the Henley site that they chose. The new town of Henley was laid out on either side of the main road with a series of long thin plots typical of Medieval town planning, combining a maximum area with a minimum of valuable street frontage. The Medieval property pattern survives more or less to this day.
7 During evaluation at 98 High Street, only a single sherd of Medieval pottery was recorded, from a site that would seem to be laid out on a burgage plot. The lack of finds prior to the 18th-century suggests that the area was either not developed until the pebble surfaces were laid in the 18th-century, or that the plot was cleared of Medieval and post-Medieval detritus, prior to its redevelopment at that time.
8 Portable Antiquities Scheme find provenance information: Date found: 2003-03-31T23:00:00Z Methods of discovery: Metal detector
9 The growth of Henley n Arden at the foot of the castle at Beaudesert allowed further Market charters to be obtained in the 1220's.
 
Sources
Source No: 9
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Symbols of Status in Medieval Warwickshire (1000-1500)
Author/originator: Hook D
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 117
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph Transcript
Title: Henley in Arden parish
Author/originator: ARI
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Domesday Book Warwickshire incl Birmingham
Author/originator: Phillimore and Co Ltd
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: Comments on villages and towns in the Medieval Settlement study.
Author/originator: Hester Hawkes.
Date: 2002/3
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation at Herring House, 98 High Street, Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation at Herring House, 98 High Street, Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2008
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
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
   
Source No:
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) Database
Author/originator: British Museum
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
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: Map
Title: 31SE 1:10560 1886
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1886
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 31SE
   
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
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 NEW TOWN * A settlement carefully planned from its inception and usually constructed in an area which was previously undeveloped. Many new towns were developed following the New Towns Act 1946. 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 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 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 CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. 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 GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument BURGAGE PLOT * A plot of land longer than it is wide, can include any structures on it. Typical of medieval towns. back
monument ORCHARD * An enclosure used for the cultivation of fruit trees. back
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record