Information for record number MWA9488:
Atherstone Medieval Settlement

Summary The probable extent of the medieval settlement based on the first edition 6" Ordnance Survey map of 1886.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Atherstone
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 30 97
(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 probable extent of the medieval settlement based on the 1st edition OS 6" map of 1888, 6SE.
2 Atherstone is listed in Domesday. It was in Coleshill Hundred. The Phillimore edition has a grid reference of 3097. Ref 15,2 The Countess (Godiva) held 3 hides. Land for 5 ploughs. 11 villagers, 2 smallholders and 1 slave with 4 ploughs. Meadow 6 acres; woodland 2 leagues long and 2 leagues wide. The value was 40s; now 60s.
3 The 1888 map shows dense settlement of strip plots and gardens each side of Long Street. The loop made by South Street on the southeastern side encloses little plots and gardens that may be post medieval.
4 In Domesday, Atherstone is listed as belonging to the parish of Mancetter and had no church of its own - indicating it was a relatively minor settlement. It passed from Countess Godiva to the Earl of Chester. It was then granted by Hugh, Earl of Chester, to the Abbey of Bec, in Bec-Hellouin, Normandy. In 1246, Henry III granted the Abbey of Bec a weekly market in their manor of Atherstone every Tuesday. A market place and properties for rental by traders was laid out, leading to the development of the whole new town of Atherstone. The 1716 plan of Atherstone by Robert Hewitt shows the market place and, along either side of Long Street, a series of the long thin plots that were typical of medieval town planning. Many of these properties survive in the modern town plan. The market flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries and into the later middle ages.
5 An undated pit, 3m deep, was recorded during observation at 128 Long Street. Timbers recorded from this pit had mortice and tenon joints and were probably no later than 18th century in date.
6 Two undated pits were recorded to the rear of The Three Tuns public house, Long Street. They were possibly medieval, representing low-level backyard activity at the rear of a burgage plot.
7 medieval features were excavated and 19th century tenement yard houses.
 
Sources
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: 3
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: 7
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: An Archaeological Excavation at the Former Factory Site, Station Street, Atherstone
Author/originator: Gilbert D
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1608
   
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: 06SE 1:10560 1888
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1888
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 06SE
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation at 128 Long Street, Atherstone, Warwickshire
Author/originator: C Coutts
Date: 2007
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Watching Brief Report
Title: Land to the rear of the Three Tuns Public House, Long Street, Atherstone: An Archaeological evaluation and watching brief
Author/originator: Mann P
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 1931
   
Images:  
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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 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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period Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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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period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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monument YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. 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 FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. 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 ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. 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 TENEMENT * A parcel of land. back
monument BACKYARD * A small yard attached to the rear of a house or other building. 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 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 PUBLIC HOUSE * The public house was a 19th century development, distinctive from the earlier BEER HOUSE by its decorative treatment and fittings. 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 MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument MARKET PLACE * An area, often consisting of widened streets or a town square, where booths and stalls may be erected for public sales. back
monument FACTORY * A building or complex, housing powered machinery and employing a large workforce for manufacturing purposes. Use specific monument type where known. 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