Information for record number MWA992:
Church of St Mary Magdalene, Tanworth in Arden

Summary The church of St Mary Magdalene dating mainly to the Medieval period, but with some later restoration. It is located in the centre of Tanworth in Arden.
What Is It?  
Type: Church
Period: Medieval - Industrial (1066 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Tanworth in Arden
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 11 70
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Chancel, nave, wide N aisle, N and S porches and W tower with spire. A period from the late 13th century to c1330-40 covers the whole of the architectural details of the building, apart from the modern work. The development appears to have been as follows: an early 13th century chapel, represented by the wide N aisle, into which new windows were inserted at the end of the century, followed very soon afterwards by the complete enlargement of the church, beginning probably with the lower part of the tower and the W half of the nave; then the E half and the chancel, which is deflected to the S of the axis of the nave. The nave may have had a S aisle within it, but there are no traces of a S arcade. The upper half of the tower is not much later than the lower. In 1790 the N arcade and N and S porches were demolished. The arcade and N porch were rebuilt in the restoration of 1880, the S porch only recently. A chapel at Tanworth is mentioned in the early 12th century; by 1202 it had become an independent parish church.
2 Photograph of the chancel.
3 Nearly everything is of c1300-30.
4 A wall in the aisle of rougher masonry than that of the rest of the church is perhaps of early 13th century date.
5 Nave floor level lowered as part of late 19th century restoration. Original level of chancel floor visible to N and S of altar. Heating ducts - W end of nave. Vaults indicated by 18th century memorials on S wall of nave. Chancel floor now c15cm above original. NE and SE chancel - small areas original floor level visible, with medieval tiles. S porch - steps down to nave floor. External drains - whole exterior. Earthworks in field to SE of churchyard. Probably poor survival of below-floor deposits, except in chancel where much of original floor appears to survive.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 5, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 5
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 5, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 5
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: The Buildings of England: Warwickshire
Author/originator: Pevsner N and Wedgwood A
Date: 1966
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Warwicks
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Archaeological Church Assessment
Author/originator: Hodder M A
Date: 1990
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 25NE6
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Tanworth in Arden
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1900s
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. 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 Modern The Modern Period, about 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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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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period modern About 1915 AD to the present (the 20th and 21st centuries AD)

In recent years archaeologists have realised the importance of recording modern sites. They do this so that in the future people will be able to look at the remains to help them understand the events to which they are related.
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monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument TOWER * A tall building, either round, square or polygonal in plan, used for a variety of purposes, including defence, as a landmark, for the hanging of bells, industrial functions, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument VAULT * An underground room or building with an arched roof, often used as a burial chamber. Use wider site type where known. back
monument PARISH CHURCH * The foremost church within a parish. back
monument DRAIN * An artificial channel for draining water or carrying it off. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument CHURCHYARD * An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground. 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 ALTAR * An elevated table or podium on which to place or sacrifice offerings to the deities. back
monument STEPS * A series of flat-topped structures, usually made of stone or wood, used to facilitate a person's movement from one level to another. 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