Pillerton Priors Medieval Settlement

Description of this historic site

The possible extent of the Medieval Settlement, based on the first edition Ordnance Survey map.

Notes about this historic site

1 The possible extent of the medieval settlement based on the first edition OS maps of 1886, 51 NW and 51 SW.
2 Listed in the Domesday survey in Tremlow Hundred. The Phillimore edition has a grid ref of 29,47.
Ref 13,1 Earl Hugh holds 1 hide and 3 virgates of land in Pillerton (Priors), and Waleran from him. Land for 2 ploughs. In lordship 1, with 1 slave; 2 villagers and 2 smallholders with 1 plough. The value was 20s; now 30s. Hugh the Chamberlain held it freely.
Ref 18,11 St Evroul’s Abbey holds 6 hides and 1 virgate of land in Pillerton (Priors). Land for 10 ploughs. In lordship 3; 13 villagers and 23 smallholders with 1 Frenchman and 3 thanes have 8 ploughs. Meadow 12 acres. The value was £6; now £10. 4 thanes held it freely before 1066.
3 The first edition maps show a village with few ordinary plots – the buildings are mostly farms. Trees cover some of the empty areas. In some places there seem to be inner and outer boundary hedges. WA7424 is the shrunken settlement. There is no medieval church. Ridge and furrow plotting has not been done for the parish, but there is survival shown on the database mapping, particularly to the north of the village.
4 Archaeological recording during the excavation of foundation trenches for a single dwelling at Homestalls Meadow, Pillerton Priors (SP29384755) recovered a few sherds of medieval pottery dating from the 13th to 15th centuries.
5 A number of very large ditches and pits dating to the C11th-C13th were recorded during excavations north of Sandpit Farm in 1998. Two of these features contained iron-working slag and/or clinker. The heath or furnace bottom slag would indicate that the iron-working had taken place on this site but it was not found in situ. The environmental evidence points towards wheat as the main cereal crop, although sufficient animal bones survived to indicate a mixed agriculture. A single, unstratified stone spindle-whorl suggests that sheep were utilised for their wool. Whilst no evidence for early medieval structures was found, this site was clearly in use in the 11th -13th centuries, possible for agriculture or small scale industrial activities.

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