Information for record number MWA7293:
Medieval Rabbit Warren, Alcester Heath

Summary The site of a Medieval rabbit warren used for breeding rabbits. It is known from documentary evidence and was located 500m south west of King's Coughton.
What Is It?  
Type: Rabbit Warren
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 07 58
(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 An area c.25ha south east of Alcester Lodge was known as Conyngere in 1462/3, the name suggesting the presence of a rabbit warren.
2 In 1462/3 the Conyngere was described as former pasture forming part of Beauchamp's Court Park. It may have been the warren created by Walter de Beauchamp after a royal grant of free warren in his demesne lands in Alcester in 1300. The area lies north west of the open fields of Alcester but the surrounding fields including the south part of the Conyngere contain traces of ridge and furrow visible on aerial photographs. This may relate to a licence also granted to Walter de Beauchamp in 1291 to bring 60 acres of wood in Alcester into cultivation. The area did not remain arable for long being included along with the ?disused warren in Beauchamp's Court Park in the early/mid 15th century. By 1754 the Conyngere had been divided into three fields, Burrows Conygree, Further Conygree and Hither Conygree. The name Burrows might be thought to indicate the location of the warren structure, but it is the area with the ridge and furrow.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title:
Author/originator:
Date: 1462
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: CR 1886-161
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: A435 Studley Bypass Archaeological Assessment (Stage 2)
Author/originator: Warwickshire Museum
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. 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.
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monument OPEN FIELD * An area of arable land with common rights after harvest or while fallow. Usually without internal divisions (hedges, walls or fences). back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument LODGE * A small building, often inhabited by a gatekeeper, gamekeeper or similar. Use specific type where known. 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 PARK * An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known. back
monument RABBIT WARREN * An area used for the breeding and rearing of rabbits. back
monument PASTURE * A field covered with herbage for the grazing of livestock. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument WOOD * A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record