Information for record number MWA9526:
Long Lawford Medieval Settlement

Summary The probable extent of the medieval settlement at Long Lawford based on the Ordnance Survey map of 1887, excavation, and on aerial photographs.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Wall, Ditch, Pit
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Long Lawford
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 47 76
(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 of Long Lawford based on the Ordnance Survey first edition map of 1887, 28 NW.
2 The ridge and furrow plotting of the parish.
3 Domesday lists Long Lawford in Marton Hundred. The Phillimore ed. has a grid ref. of SP 4775. Ref 31,4 In (Long Lawford) 5 hides. Land for 14 ploughs. In lordship 1. 14 villagers and 7 smallholders have 7 ploughs. A mill at 14s. The value was 40s; now 50s.
4 The 1887 map shows a neat rectangular village with a regular grid of lanes - clearly planned. Most of the plots are occupied; many have orchards beyond the back garden. ridge and furrow survival can be seen to abut the settlement and radiate from it on almost all sides, but it is patchy in the north and north east. Both a ford and a foot bridge are marked crossing the brook to the west. There is no Medieval church; Long Lawford used to be part of the parish of Newbold on Avon.
5 The excavation of three trial trenches west of the Caldecott Arms, Chapel Street, Long Lawford (SP 4716 7595), recorded evidence of Medieval activity across the site. This included a ditch and a stone wall, which probably represented Medieval property boundaries behind houses fronting onto the Main Street. Evidence of terracing down the hill to the north-west was recorded and this was probably carried out in the Medieval period as an aid to cultivation. No evidence for Medieval structures or occupation along the Chapel Street frontage was recorded, though it was possible that the pits and gullies recorded in this area were of Medieval or later date.
6 Medieval ditches were uncovered during an excavation which followed on from the evaluation of
5. These followed a north/south and east/west alignment. They probably represent property divisions just behind the properties fronting the main street.
7 An undated east-west ditch 1.85m wide by 0.65m deep was recorded cutting natural gravel during observation of groundworks at the Country Inn, Main Street.
8 Possible late Medieval or early Post-Medieval quarry pits were recorded within the western extent of the Medieval settlement. These were only partly revealed and excavated, and contained a sherds of 13th and 15th or 16th century pottery
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph Transcript
Title: Long Lawford parish
Author/originator: ARI
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
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: 6
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Archaeological Excavation on land to the west of the Caldecott Arms, Chapel Street, Long Lawford.
Author/originator: C Jones and P Thompson
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation on Land to the West of the Caldecott Arms, Chapel Street, Long Lawford, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Jones C & Thompson P
Date: 2004
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 0408
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation at 28 Chapel Street, Long Lawford, Warwickshire
Author/originator: S C Palmer
Date: 2009
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: 28NW 1:10560 1887
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1887
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 28NW
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Serial
Title: West Midlands Archaeology vol 48
Author/originator: S Watt (ed.)
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

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.
more -> 		back
technique Trial Trench A small regular hole that is usually square or rectangular in shape. Archaeologists dig trial trenches to discover if there are any archaeological remains at a particular location. See also excavation. back
technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. 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 INN * A public house for the lodging and entertainment of travellers, etc. 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. 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 CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. 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 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 DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument CHAPEL * A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. Use more specific type where known. 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 STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument ORCHARD * An enclosure used for the cultivation of fruit trees. back
monument QUARRY * An excavation from which stone for building and other functions, is obtained by cutting, blasting, etc. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific 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
monument FORD * A shallow place in a river or other stretch of water, where people, animals and vehicles may cross. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record