Information for record number MWA9045:
Southam Medieval Settlement

Summary The possible extent of Medieval settlement at Southam as suggested by the Ordnance Survey map of 1886.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Market, Fair
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Southam
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 41 61
(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 6" map of 188, 40NE.
2Borough 1399-1400. Market Town c 1600. Market Charter granted for Wednesdays on 14th February 1227 by Henry III to Prior and Monks of Coventry. Sherriff of Warwickshire ordered to proclaim the Market and cause it to be established 15th February 1227. On 8th March 1239 Henry II granted Prior and Monks that the day of the Market should be changed to Monday. Monday Market recorded in 1677 and continued until early twentieth century. Fair Charter for vigil feast morrow Peter and Paul (29th June) feria granted 1st August 1256 by Henry III to Prior and Convent of Coventry. The Fair was regranted on 30th 1257.
3 The ridge and furrow plotting of the parish.
4 Listed in the Domesday survey under Marton Hundred. The Phillimore edition has a grid reference of 41,61. Ref 6,8 (Land of Coventry Church) in Southam 4 hides. Land for 12 ploughs. In lordship 2 ploughs; 7 slaves; 20 villagers and 8 smallholders with 8 ploughs. 2 mills at 4s; meadow 10 acres; woodland 1 league long and 1/2 league wide; this woodland is in the King's hands. Value before 1066 and now 100s; when acquired 60s.
5 The first edition map shows a small Town at the intersection of several roads, of which one is the Welsh road [WA4766], a drove road for livestock, which dates from the Medieval period. There is dense occupation at the centre and along Coventry Street to the north, and triangular and polygonal areas to the east of the centre enclosed by back lanes. Many of the gardens and small fields behind the houses contain trees and orchards. The ridge and furrow plotting shows some survival all round Southam, which abuts the Town in some places.To the north and south however there is a space between the settlement and the ridge and furrow.The River Stow provides a natural border to the southeast. Domesday indicates a populous and quite valuable village. The Church [WA761] dates from the C14th.
6 An evaluation at 6 Market Hill recorded evidence for late Medieval/ early post-medieival settlement activity. Two pits were recorded, filled with demolition debris dating to the 15th-17th centuries. It is suggested that the site has been occupied from at least the 17th century, although documentary evidence suggests this might be part of a longer sequence.
7 A possible Medieval pit or ditch containing 12th-century pottery was recorded during observation on Warwick road and Wattons Lane.
8A desk-based assessment was carried out on land in the centre of the Town prior to a potential redevelopment.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Aerial Photograph Transcript
Title: Southam parish
Author/originator: ARI
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Domesday Book Warwickshire incl Birmingham
Author/originator: Phillimore and Co Ltd
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
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: 8
Source Type: Desk Top Study
Title: Desk-based assessment of land between High Street, Park Lane and Little Park, Southam
Author/originator: Vaughan T & Daffern N
Date: 2012
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1928
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological trial trench evaluation at 6 Market Hill, Southam Warwickshire
Author/originator: A Burrow
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs to 1516 (Warwickshire)
Author/originator: Institute of Historical Research (CMH)
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Warwickshire
   
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: 40NE 1:10560 1886
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1886
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 40NE
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation at 12 Warwick road and Wattons Lane, Southam, Warwickshire
Author/originator: C Jones, C Rann and P Thompson
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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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 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 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
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 DROVE ROAD * A road or track specifically used by drovers or herders to drive their animals to market. 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 BORDER * A strip of ground forming a fringe to a garden. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument DEMOLITION DEBRIS * Debris derived from the demolition of buildings or other structures. If unsure of whether debris is resulting from construction or demolition, index with both terms. 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 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 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 FAIR * A site where a periodical gathering of buyers, sellers and entertainers, meet at a time ordained by charter or statute or by ancient custom. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. 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 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 ORCHARD * An enclosure used for the cultivation of fruit trees. back
monument MEADOW * A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay. back
monument ROUND * A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England. 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