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Morville Estate, Shropshire

The National Trust are conducting an on-going review of aspects of the Morville estate and as part of this, coupled with research interests within ArchaeoPhysica, a reconnaissance magnetic survey was undertaken. The area concerned is within the village and adjacent to the parish church, now isolated within parkland.

It is known that a small Benedictine Priory once stood nearby, though exactly where was uncertain. In addition, the situation of the church suggests that the village was once larger, so armed with this information it was decided to see what might be found.

In fact rather a lot was found, including a system of former plot boundaries extending west from a series of patches of magnetic debris likely to mark the sites of demolished timber-framed buildings. These front the line of an old road passing east of the church, folk memory of which survives locally and is present as earthworks in some places. Other features include numerous small pits and ditch fragments, most probably medieval though of course geophysical survey cannot provide firm dates.

Of the priory there was no sign in the data and this confirms the research hypothesis that it lies within the bounds of the present church yard where there is a low mound and traces of wall footings to the north of the church. During survey, earthworks from earlier burial grounds were noted, including a circular one tightly enclosing the church and probable priory buildings.

Client

The National Trust