Heritage

The early history of Atherstone and Mancetter

Iron age people had certainly lived in the Atherstone locality in prehistoric times as witnessed by archaeological finds of stone axes and flints and also the defence ditches and ramparts of the hilltop fort at Oldbury. There are also a number of tumuli (burial mounds) of uncertain date at scattered places in the parish.

Atherstone did not develop round the church as did many towns and villages in late Saxon and Norman times. The centre of the parish was at Mancetter where the parish church was situated, Atherstone itself being part of Mancetter parish, which included also Hartshill and Oldbury. The history of the area cannot be considered without looking at the important developments during the Roman occupation of Britain.

The coming of the Romans

The Claudian invasion of Britain began in AD 43 and the advance northwards and westwards continued steadily until a temporary frontier roughly along the line of the present Fosse Way was established about AD 45/47. The area of Mancetter village became a Roman military fort, probably as an outpost of this frontier. Here the Legionaries were stationed awaiting the next phase of advance westwards toward Wroxeter and the Welsh border. The present church and manor house are situated in roughly the centre of what was the fortified area. What appear to be the outer defences have been excavated and recorded in four places. Inside these defences excavation has revealed the foundation slots of what were probably timber barrack blocks. Small finds of pottery and coins together with artefacts of military significance all prove early occupation by the Roman army. The fort was almost certainly maintained until after the Boudiccan revolt of AD 60 during which it would have been of vital importance.

Boudica (or some say Boadicea), after sacking and burning Colchester, London and St. Albans, advanced northwards along the line of Watling Street with her army and there are those who argue that the great battle between the Romans and the Britons was fought in this locality. When the country was pacified the fort -was probably evacuated and levelled although there are signs of later Roman occupation which will only be proved by further archæological investigation.

Manduessedum

On the opposite side of the river from Mancetter and on the Watling Street are the rather meagre visible remains of the rectangular earthwork of a Roman posting station – Manduessedum, one of a series established every fifteen miles or so along the Watling Street from St. Albans to Wroxeter near Shrewsbury. This settlement may well date from about AD 70. Some of these settlements along the main roads later developed very comfortable mansiones or hostelries with heated rooms and bath houses. It is known that such buildings were in use at Tripontium, east of Manduessedum, and at the next posting station to the west at Letocetum (Wall) near Lichfield. Nothing like this has been found at Manduessedum but past observers have noted the remains of stone buildings now vanished.

Economic activity in the area in Roman times has been shown by excavations in the fields on the south side of the Watling Street at Witherley. Here much pottery has been unearthed together with the kilns in which it was made. There developed here from AD 100 a very important industry which marketed pottery northwards over a large area of the country. Mancetter pottery particularly Mortaria or shallow mixing bowls have been found as far away as Hadrian’s Wall. This is known because the earlier potters stamped their names onto the wares they made. This pottery industry flourished for nearly two centuries and then gradually declined, lasting in some form until about AD 370.

Atherstone in the Saxon Period

Although the period after about AD 410 when the Romans left Britain has given us little direct written evidence, it is clear that the period was important for the emergence of separate settlements at Hartshill, Oldbury and Atherstone itself, as well as the important settlement at Mancetter where the local parish church became established. The Saxons, as they spread across the country, would sometimes take over existing Roman/ British settlements. Many of these were just off the old Roman roads which still provided the main communication network of the country although no doubt sadly in need of repair by this time.

Many Saxon settlements also arose at strategic positions such as river crossings or where two important routes crossed each other. Atherstone could well have developed from Æthelred’s Tun which was at the crossing of the route from Derby and Ashby to Coleshill and Oxford with the Watling Street. Maybe at this point houses and hostelries appeared to provide rest and refreshment for travellers. Certainly down to modern times Atherstone has been noted for its many inns. It could also have become a centre for the distribution of farm produce grown on the rich lands lying each side of the River Anker. As in so many cases the name itself came from the combination of a personal name Æthe/red in the case of Atherstone – with the Saxon word for a farmstead, tun. Although little is known directly about Atherstone in this period, it was located in the powerful Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. It was only eight miles from Tamworth, which by the mid-seventh century was one of Mercia’s important capital towns. Indeed by the eighth century, as shown by recent excavations, the King had built his palace there.

In the late Saxon period, just before the Norman Conquest, a large area of Atherstone and its open fields and woodlands belonged to the Countess Godiva (of Coventry fame). This is clear from the Domesday Book entry which is as follows:
The Countess herself held in Aderstone 3 hides (360 acres) land for 5 ploughs.
1 1 villagers, 2 smallholders and 1 slave with 4 ploughs. Meadow 6 acres: Woodland 2 leagues long and 2 leagues wide. The value was 40s. (in 1066) now 60s. (in 1086).
So Atherstone then seems to have held thirteen families which would mean that it probably had at least 60 inhabitants. No mention is made of Mancetter in the Domesday Book but Hartshill with Ansley also belonged to the Countess and held about the same population but were valued at f4 in 1066.
Can we, from the facts and figures given in the Domesday Book, build up in imagination a picture of what Atherstone may have been like in 1066? Perhaps clustered on the crossroads on the Watling Street would have been a group of wooden houses, barns, stables, etc., thatched with reeds and turf surrounded by the open fields. The Saxons almost always constructed buildings with wood and in those days there was plenty to be had locally. They were good builders and their houses and halls would be very substantial and comfortable. Unfortunately wooden buildings leave very little in the way of remains for archæologists to investigate.
Chapter 2. Atherstone – a mediæval market town develops
In the late 1 Ith century Hugh, Earl of Chester, gave the manor, or estate, of Atherstone to the Monks of Bec in Normandy. It is unlikely at this early date that there was a priory built as the manor was in the Parish of Mancetter; the inhabitants worshipped in the Mother Church at Mancetter and were baptised, married and buried by the priest there.
A small mediæval market town
The Monks of Bec used the revenue from the Manor to support their Abbey in Normandy. Believing the village on the Watling Street to be in an advantageous trading position they attempted to establish a market town with borough status like Stratford or Evesham. They administered the estate through visiting officials whose records reveal that in 1289 burgage tenements were set out around the market area and along the Watling Street. This early town planning gave piots of land of equal size to tenants who were free from customary agricultural service to the manor, and were thus able to concentrate on developing trade. It is likely that new people were attracted into the town at this time and the records show that in 1 294 there were 36 free tenants in the Manor. A twice weekly market was granted to the town and also an annual fair, to be held in September. In the early 14th century two grants for paving were allowed, but despite these measures the town failed to thrive and never achieved borough status. One source, for instance, states that:-

Merchants and others with goods and wares come only in small numbers in winter time and in wet weather.

The Lay Subsidy Roll of 1332 states that the 23 taxable inhabitants were all living by agriculture, none were recorded as tradesmen. However, it is interesting to note that two men were called ‘Le Taylur’ and one ‘Le Shereman’, suggesting the existence of a cloth trade.

While the Monks of Bec were mainly concerned with the economic röle of their manor, the spiritual life of the inhabitants was not neglected. A Chapel was built on 1 2 acres of land near the Market Place and it was agreed with the priest of Mancetter:-

That he should cause divine service to be performed there three times a week.

A significant change in the religious history of the town occurred at the end of the 14th century when this land was given to the Augustinian preaching friars who built a new chapel which was in regular use for worship until the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1 6th century. In later years the building was used as a grammar school.

Changes at the Reformation

The 16th century was a period of great crisis and change nationally and Atherstone did not escape the results of these changes. The suppression of the great Abbey at Merevale and the small friary in the town brought major changes. There were disadvantages in that wealthy families bought the monastic lands, including the Manor of Atherstone which was at that time in the hands of Mount Grace Abbey, Yorkshire. The administration of the Manor Court, which

benefited from the long leases which had been granted by the Abbey at Merevale on their lands prior to the dissolution in 1538. The extra land available in the early part of the century helped to alleviate for a time the serious problems caused by a growing population.

Increasing numbers of people caused great difficulty in Atherstone throughout most of the 1 6th century. In 1 524 there were approximately 600 inhabitants occupying 135 houses, all situated along the Watling Street (now Long Street) and the Market Place, in an area confined by the surrounding open fields. By the end of the century the number had risen by 50%, causing serious problems of food supply to a population relying mainly on agriculture. In 1 592 the burial rate was assessed at double its normal figure. There was a further increase in 1593 and the rate remained higher than usual until 1 598.

The increasing density of population worsened the recurrent problem of epidemics. In 1558-9, when influenza devastated many towns, Atherstone suffered a serious setback, losing a large number of the more active inhabitants. It took a generation to recover. Again in 1 604, disease – probably plague killed 145 people and many families disappear from the records after this date.

Atherstone trade develops

Despite these serious social and economic difficulties Atherstone’s traditional grain market had continued and began to expand towards the end of the 1 6th century as more people began to supplement their agricultural income by trading. Some trades were directly linked to agriculture, others provided new services to the growing population. The surviving inventories of goods show that although the early tradesmen were also small farmers, gradually many came to rely solely on trade.

The early 1 6th century inventories have ample evidence for a thriving cloth and wool trade. A draper and a haberdasher were selling their goods at this time and at least two weavers were working, and numerous items of wool, flax, and hemp suggest others in the same trade. During the 1 7th century many weavers’ and tailors’ goods were appraised and in the last decade of the century two felt makers, Thomas Wilday and Joseph Hatton, had established the basis for the 19th century hat trade, for which Atherstone became famous.

The market catered for many different trades during the 1 7th century and its cleanliness and efficiency were assured by the officers of the Manor Court. The butchers and bakers who traded on either side of the Market Place had to maintain strict standards and the brewing trade which is in evidence in many of the had been conducted by a resident Bailiff acting for the Monks, was afterwards dominated by private wealthy families, although the jury was still made up of local inhabitants. However, there were advantages for some local people who traded on either side of the Market Place had to maintain strict standards and the brewing trade which is in evidence in many of the inventories was controlled by the Aletaster. Many tanners brought brisk business in the sale and exchange of hides and bark for their trade. Shoemakers and glovers bought their leather and sold their finished products in the market.

Numerous blacksmiths were busy during the 1 7th century and an ironmonger and several chandlers were selling their produce. The pewterware that appears in most of the inventories was locally made and other goods were supplied by a cutler, a spoon-maker, a rope-maker and a saddlemaker.

Many shops were named in the inventories, but these were workshops rather than retail outlets. Traders gradually sought more comfortable conditions than the open market provided and the old tenements around the Market Place and Long Street became retail shops. It is likely that during the transition period much trade was carried on in the premises of the numerous innkeepers and victuallers who had their goods appraised in the late 1 7th century.

Prosperous traders had their premises rebuilt, providing work for the local masons, bricklayers, brickmakers, tilers and carpenters, but many of the former buildings stand today with 18th and 19th century frontages concealing their origins. The twice weekly market and the annual Statutes Fair in September still continue today, but in a different form. The market which impressed Daniel Defoe as a great cheese trading centre has again reverted to a general market, but with few locally produced goods. The annual fair has lost its former role as a labour market and is now solely for entertainment.