Medieval settlement at Kings Newnham

1 Kings Newnham was a Medieval settlement granted to Kenilworth Priory by 1129. There is evidence to suggest that a high proportion of the inhabitants specialised in crafts. The plan of Kings Newnham, with its church-manor nucleus off-set from the earthwork remains of the village, suggests a decline in population. But once these earthworks are reinstated on the village plan, an L-shaped series of plots becomes apparent, all fronting onto the street running around the Old Park. The northern street-axis is broadened at the south corner and this open space, with its encroachments, could represent a place where goods were gathered before being distributed to local markets. Such undocumented activities involvling trade would obviously explain the high tax assessment of 1334 but, in the absence of a market charter, the only other substantiating evidence for this hypothesis is the settlement plan itself.
2, 3 The plan of the Medieval settlement can be traced from the Ordnance Survey 1st edition maps.