Information for record number MWA6315:
Nuneaton Priory Cloisters and Conventual Buildings

Summary The site of the Medieval cloister buildings and other conventual buildings associated with Nuneaton Priory. Only the foundations of these buildings remain and they are situated to the east of Manor Court Road, Nuneaton.
What Is It?  
Type: Building, Cloister
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Nuneaton and Bedworth
District: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 35 92
(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 The cloisters were unusually large, being 41m square. Of the monastic buildings, only the E wall of the Chapter House (PRN 6133) is standing; it is about 1.8m to 2.1m high and 19m long. No uncovered remains exist of the S or W ranges of the cloisters. A raised lawn S of the vicarage conceals any possible remains of the frater or its kitchens, but S of it are the foundations of two detached buildings. The W was probably a 12th century brewhouse. To the W (actually E) is a 14th century building, probably a misericord.
2 1949-50: Part of the warming house, to the S of the Chapter House, was excavated. A stone chimney was excavated.
3 Plan included in the above article.
4 Part of the Priory was excavated and the earthworks to the east of the church were surveyed in 1980. The earthwork survey identified what may be the remains of the edge of a building on the south end of the east range of the cloister.
5 Plan included in the above report.
6 Description of St Mary's Priory.
7 Observation of the construction of a service trench for a new central heating system revealed foundations of several Priory buildings located to the east and south east of the church. Ceramic roof tile was recovered and two disarticulated human bones.
8 Archaeological salvage recording revealed two stone walls. One was substantial and medieval in date with associated pottery, roof and floor tiles. The other was probably later, re-using medeival stone. A substantial number of medieval floor tile fragments were also recovered to the south.
9 Revision of the scheduling.
10Observation of a gas pipe trench within the scheduled area. Demolition layers associated with the demolition of the cloisters were recorded.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 4, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: St. Mary's Priory, Nuneaton
Author/originator: Jenkinson H
Date: 1922
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: St Mary's Priory
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: TBAS vol 69
Author/originator: Brown H
Date: 1951
Page Number: 43
Volume/Sheet: 69
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Recording at St. Mary's Abbey Church, Nuneaton
Author/originator: B Gethin & S Palmer
Date: 2001
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 0104
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation at St Mary's Church Community Hall, Nuneaton, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Coutts C
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation of a gas pipe trench at the Old Rectory, Nuneaton Priory
Author/originator: D Hicks and N Palmer
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Plan
Title: TBAS vol 69
Author/originator: Brown H
Date: 1951
Page Number: Plate 7
Volume/Sheet: 69
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Plan
Title: TBAS vol 91
Author/originator: Andrews D
Date: 1981
Page Number: 61
Volume/Sheet: 91
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 91
Author/originator: Andrews D
Date: 1981
Page Number: 61
Volume/Sheet: 91
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Priory of St Mary, Nuneaton
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 1991
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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source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Earthwork Survey The measuring and plotting of earthworks, such as banks, ditches, mounds and areas of ridge and furrow cultivation, to create a plan of what exists on the ground. Earthwork surveys are sometimes also called topographical surveys. 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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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument CHAPTER HOUSE * The building attached to a cathedral or collegiate church where the dean, prebendaries or monks and canons met for the transaction of business. back
monument VICARAGE * The residence of a vicar, parson or rector. back
monument BREWHOUSE * An outbuilding containing brewing equipment, as opposed to a large commercial BREWERY. Often found in conjunction with public houses, country houses etc. 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 STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument KITCHEN * A building or room where food is prepared and cooked. back
monument PRIORY * A monastery governed by a prior or prioress. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, FRIARY, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. 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 ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument CLOISTER * A covered walk, walled on one side and usually arcaded on the other, surrounding or partly surrounding an open area in a monastery or similar complex of Christian buildings. 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 TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument WARMING HOUSE * A building or room within a monastery in which the monks were allowed to warm themselves. The warming house was often the only place where a fire was allowed. back
monument DEMOLITION LAYER * A layer underneath the topsoil containing rubble or fragments of building material, e.g. mortar, tile, flint. back
monument LAWN * A flat, and usually level area of mown and cultivated grass, attached to a house. back
monument CHIMNEY * Chimney used on an industrial or commercial site. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record