Information for record number MWA8983:
Fenny Compton Medieval Settlement

Summary The probable extent of settlement at Fenny Compton during the Medieval period which has been identified on the Ordnance Survey map of 1886.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Fenny Compton
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 41 52
(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 possible extent of the medieval settlement, based on the first edition OS 6" map of 1886, 46 SE.
2 The ridge and furrow plotting of the parish.
3 Domesday lists Fenny Compton in Hunsbury Hundred. The Phillimore ed gives a grid ref of 4152. Ref: 16.57 [Land of the Count of Meulan] in (Fenny) Compton 4 hides and 3 virgates of land. Gilbert holds from him. Land for 6 ploughs. In lordship 2 ploughs; 7 slaves; 8 villagers with a priest and 6 smallholders with 4 ploughs. Meadow 40 acres. The value was 60s; now £4. Aelfric held it freely before 1066. Ref: 17,58-59.[Land of Hugh of Grandmesnil] Aelmer holds 2 hides in (Fenny) Compton. Land for 2 ploughs. In lordship 1 1/2 ploughs; 4 slaves; 6 villagers and 2 smallholders with 1 1/2 ploughs. Meadow, 16 acres. The value was 20s, now 40s. Roger holds 3 hides and 1 virgate of land in the same village. Land for 6 ploughs. In lordship 2, with 1 slave. 8 villagers and 4 smallholders with 4 ploughs. Meadow, 34 acres. The value was 40s; now 50s. Ordric, Alwin and Wulfsi held it freely before 1066.
4 The 1886 map shows little lanes and irregular enclosed areas which suggest antiquity and organic growth. ridge and furrow plotting shows almost complete survival throughout the parish, except for the north and south. It encircles the village, and mostly abuts the settlement. There may have been gardens on the western side between the village and the ridge and furrow:- there seems to be the remains of a boundary hedge on the 1886 map.
5 The earthworks around the village of Fenny Compton are visible on aerial photographs and have been mapped as part of the SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds HLS NMP survey. Centred at SP 4176 5200 are the earthwork remains of a Hollow way (SP 41774 52029), fishponds and possible field boundaries and a possible house platforms (SP 4181 5216). A mound is also visible at SP 41787 52003 measuring about 9m in diameter, which has been suggested is the remains of a horse mill (Warwickshire HER No. MWA667). The rectangular fishpond, centred at SP 41721 51988 is believed to be post medieval in date and was part of the landscaping of the area (Warwickshire HER No. MWA6197), a further possible pond at SP 4166 5205 may be from landscaping or from a swollen stream which goes under Dog's Lane. Further possible croft ditches are visible north of Memorial Road at SP 41776 5227, and south of Manor Farm at SP 41653 52524. Although undated, many of these earthworks indicate village shrinkage.
6 The HER polygon showing the possible limits of the whole medeival village have been considerably enlarge in line with NMP mapping but in particular in line with evidenc from Lidar imaery.
 
Sources

Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph Transcript
Title: Fenny Compton 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: 5
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds NMP Project
Author/originator: Amanda Dickson
Date: 2010-2012
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: 46SE 1:10560 1886
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1886
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 46SE
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source Antiquity Antiquity is a journal about archaeological research and is published four times each year. The journal includes articles about archaeology from all over the world, from the Palaeolithic to the present. Each issue includes an editorial, brief reports, current news in colour, research papers and notes, full review coverage of new archaeological books and occasional special sections on selected topics. back
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 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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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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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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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 MANOR FARM * A farm on the estate of a manor. back
monument FISHPOND * A pond used for the rearing, breeding, sorting and storing of fish. 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 BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. 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 POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. 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 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 CROFT * An enclosed piece of land adjoining a house. back
monument HOUSE PLATFORM * An area of ground on which a house is built. A platform is often the sole surviving evidence for a house. back
monument HEDGE * Usually a row of bushes or small trees planted closely together to form a boundary between pieces of land or at the sides of a road. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument STREAM * A natural flow or current of water issuing from a source. back
monument MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more 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 EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back
monument HOLLOW WAY * A way, path or road through a cutting. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record