Fulbrook, Warwickshire
Encyclopedia
Fulbrook is a small parish
and deserted village
in Warwickshire
, England
, situated about four miles north east of Stratford upon Avon.
Fulbrook today consists mostly of sheep-grazed fields on the banks of the River Avon. Ridge and furrow
marks on the bank just down from the road are almost all that remains of medieval strip fields that once supported a village upon the site. Fulbrook was one of many villages first decimated by the Black Death
in the 14th century, but doubly unfortunate in that its remaining tenants were later forcibly evicted by the Duke of Bedford
so that he could enclose
it as a park for hunting (nearby Charlecote remains a deer park
).
There are documented reports of a dramatic rise in highway crime on the surrounding roads soon after the
eviction of the villagers. The Duke of Bedford also built a castle on the site near a moated house belonging to a widow of noble birth, the moat of which is still clearly visible. Local records tell of fierce rivalry between, on the one side, the Duke of Bedford and the noble widow and, on the other, the Earl of Warwick
: conflict which on occasions descended into violence between supporters of the two sides in the town of Warwick
.
There was once also a watermill
, owned by an order of nuns from Coventry
, and there are records of graves found on the site. Later excavations have destroyed almost all traces of the village.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
and deserted village
Deserted medieval village
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated about four miles north east of Stratford upon Avon.
Fulbrook today consists mostly of sheep-grazed fields on the banks of the River Avon. Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
marks on the bank just down from the road are almost all that remains of medieval strip fields that once supported a village upon the site. Fulbrook was one of many villages first decimated by the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
in the 14th century, but doubly unfortunate in that its remaining tenants were later forcibly evicted by the Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
so that he could enclose
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
it as a park for hunting (nearby Charlecote remains a deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
).
There are documented reports of a dramatic rise in highway crime on the surrounding roads soon after the
eviction of the villagers. The Duke of Bedford also built a castle on the site near a moated house belonging to a widow of noble birth, the moat of which is still clearly visible. Local records tell of fierce rivalry between, on the one side, the Duke of Bedford and the noble widow and, on the other, the Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
: conflict which on occasions descended into violence between supporters of the two sides in the town of Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
.
There was once also a watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, owned by an order of nuns from Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, and there are records of graves found on the site. Later excavations have destroyed almost all traces of the village.