Information for record number MWA9181:
Medieval Buildings, Abbey Fields, Kenilworth

Summary Rescue excavation in Abbey Fields, Kenilworth revealed evidence of buildings dating from the Medieval period.
What Is It?  
Type: Building
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Kenilworth
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 28 72
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 In Februaruy 1989 stonework was uncovered by contractors machining a new pipeline easement across Abbey Fields. Rescue excavation revealed 3 buildings of 12th - 13th century date, which were largely abandoned during the 14th century. They may have been part of the mill buildings (WA 3207), however they could also be a gatehouse complex due to their location adjacent to an old trackway and bridge. They may have also served an agricultural function.
2 Geophysical survey in 1997 over the area of excavation. The survey appears to show a substantial spread of rubble, but has not clarified the size or even the shape of excavated structures.
3 The site is within the Scheduled area of the SAM of Kenilworth Abbey (Monument Number 35115).
4 Monitoring of a test-pit to the south of the 1989 excavations recorded a sandstone wall foundation, of probable medieval alignment, on the same alignment as walls to the north. Due to the limited nature of investigations, little further could be said about the wall fragment.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Site of former Hockley Chemical Works, Stratford Road, Alcester: Excavations 1994
Author/originator: Midd A & Booth P
Date: 2001
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 104
   
Source No:
Source Type: Monograph
Title: Kenilworth: The Story of the Abbey
Author/originator: Sunley, H and Stevens, N
Date: 1995
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological monitoring of a Severn Trent Water test pit at Abbey Fields, Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Author/originator: C Rann
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Kenilworth Abbey
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 2003
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Abbey Fields Resistivity Survey
Author/originator: E. Jones
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image back
technique Resistivity Survey A resistivity survey measures the electrical resistance of the soil and any buried features within it. Where there are buried pits and ditches, there is less resistance to the flow of electricity. Where there are archaeological remains made from stone, for example a wall, the resistance is greater. These differences in resistance are measured and recorded by archaeologists using a resistivity meter. The measurements can then be used to plot features that exist below the ground. See also geophysical survey. back
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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technique Test Pit A small, exploratory excavation that helps archaeologists to find out how deep below the ground surface the archaeological layers extend. They are also dug to discover whether the topsoil contains particular concentrations of artefacts. Test pits are dug before a large excavation to determine a site's depth and contents. 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.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. 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 ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument GATEHOUSE * A gateway with one or more chambers over the entrance arch; the flanking towers housing stairs and additional rooms. Use with wider site type where known. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument PIPELINE * A conduit or pipes, used primarily for conveying petroleum from oil wells to a refinery, or for supplying water to a town or district, etc. back
monument CHEMICAL WORKS * An industrial complex involved in the production of chemicals. back
monument TRACKWAY * A pathway, not necessarily designed as such, beaten down by the feet of travellers. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record