Information for record number MWA9121:
Snitterfield Medieval Settlement

Summary The possible extent of the Medieval settlement of Snitterfield. The area of settlement is suggested by Greenwoods map of 1822 and the Ordnance Survey map of 1886.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Market, Fair
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Snitterfield
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 21 59
(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 The possible extent of Medieval settlement, based on the first edition 6" map, and on Greenwood's map of 1822.
2 The Manor passed from the Catilupe family to Thomas West and Eleanor. Market Charter granted for Wednesdays on 24th September 1257 by Henry III to John de Cantilupo. Market Charter granted for Tuesdays on 7th May 1324 by Edward II to Thomas West and Eleanor, his wife. To be held at Manor. Fair for vigil feast morrow of Kenelm (17th July) granted 24th September 1257 by Henry III to John de Cantilupo. On 7th May 1324 Edward II granted Thomas West and His wife Eleanor a Fair on vigil feast+6 Kenelm at the Manor.
3 Domesday lists Snitterfield in Ferncombe Hundred. The Phillimore edition has a grid reference of 21,60, which differs slightly from this grid ref of 21,59. Ref 16,15 (Land of the Count of Meulan) Saxi held it ; he was a free man. 4 hides. Land for 14 ploughs. In lordship 2; 10 slaves. 11 villagers with a priest and 4 smallholders have 6 ploughs. Meadow, 12 acres. Value before 1066 and later £4; now 100s.
4 The 1886 map shows a very dispersed village, possibly with two centres, one round the church, and one further west at the crossroads, where there is settlement along the 4 arms of the intersection. The map is covered with post medieval names of houses, pubs, post office, gas works and some formal gaardens, which suggests that the village may have undergone a lot of change. The central rectangle is included, although it is hard to tell how much settlement was there. Domesday indicates quite a valuable settlement. There is no ridge and furrow plotting for the parish, but the database shows some suvival abutting the village to the southeast, and a detatched area further north.
5 The medeival extent has been altered slightly to reflect lidar imagery. Few earthworks survive, most being covered by later development. However a few house plots, probably medeival, are located at the northern tip of the possible extent and include narrow plots to their rear.
 
Sources

Source No: 3
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: 2
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: 5
Source Type: LIDAR
Title: Environment Agency LIDAR (2008)
Author/originator: Environment Agency
Date: 2008
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: Greenwood's Map of the County of Warwick 1822
Author/originator: Greenwood C & J
Date: 1822
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Map
Title: 38SE 1:10560 1886
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1886
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 38SE
   
Images:  
An extract from the 6" 1st edition Ordnance Survey map (sheet 38SE) showing Snitterfield
Copyright: Open
Date: 1886
Click here for larger image  
 
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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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period Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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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 HARD * A firm beach or foreshore used for landing and loading of ships and other vessels. In more recent times hards have been reinforced with concrete. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument POST OFFICE * A building, department or shop where postal business is carried on. 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 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 CROSSROADS * A road junction where two (or occasionally more) roads cross each other. 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 ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. back
monument TOWN * An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument GAS WORKS * An industrial complex concerned with the manufacture of gas for domestic use from coal and oil. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record