Shrunken Medieval Settlement of Nether Itchington

1 Lower Itchington. At Old Town Farm traces of buildings once existed. Lower Itchington was once more important than Bishops Itchington and contained the church (PRN 829), but Thomas Fisher purchased the manor in 1537 and pulled down the church to build the manor house (PRN 6181) and depopulated the village. Houses survived on the site into the Post Medieval period (PRN 6182). Many old coins, bones, musket balls and foundations of stone were found in 1849, no doubt relics of the destroyed village. A detailed manorial history survives and is described in the VCH. In the 12th century the manor was in the hands of Coventry Priory and was later a possession of the Bishop of Coventry. In 1259 Bishop Morlend was granted a weekly market and an annual fair.
2 The village was returned as depopulated in 1607. Old Town Farm marks the site of the lost Nether Itchington and it is surrounded by fields named in the 1845 Tithe Award as ‘Old Town Fields’.
3 Examination of air cover shows disturbance to the E of Old Town Farm centred on SP3956. This includes a pond bay (PRN 6183) and other features.
4 Traces of the church survive in the manor house (PRN 829, 6181). The earthworks mentioned by the OS to the E of the site include a fishpond and other platforms, ditches and banks, possibly indicating the site of Medieval houses.
6 These earthworks are fairly amorphous and the supposed platforms may relate to disturbance or quarrying rather than occupation.
7 Aerial photographs show a number of rectangular stone walled buildings as crop marks at about SP3956. These presumably represent part of the Medieval village. A moated site (PRN 6184) is also indicated.
8 Poor archaelogical survival (C), excellent documentary evidence (1*).
9 Described.
10 Transcript of 7 in FI file.
11 Photographs showing features relating to the medieval settlement.