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A village of two halves

Throughout the medieval period White Ladies Aston was not a single concentrated village. Instead, there appears to have been two separate clusters of houses.

The northern settlement is likely to have formed around an older trackway, which runs southeast towards the Bow Brook. These dwellings may be a continuation of Roman and Saxon settlement slightly further to the east, although these older areas of occupation haven’t been confirmed by excavation. The earthworks across Polly’s Piece date from the 12^th or 13^th century and may be planned rather than ad hoc settlement. It is possible that the Bishop of Worcester – the chief landowner – was behind these changes, as the Church at this time were keen to increase rental income from their numerous manors.

Sieving through soil for finds at Test Pit 4 – Polly’s Piece

To the south, finds from the 10^th – 11^th century onwards have been found by Nordle Cottage in Moat Lane. This settlement cluster may have been smaller, as another test pit close by (at Aston Hall Farm) produced no medieval pottery.

Given that two clusters of settlement are emerging from the archaeological evidence, it is interesting to see that historic records also show divided land ownership. Medieval White Ladies Aston had an array of changing landlords, and as far back as the Domesday survey of 1086 two different tenant-lords held land under the Bishop of Worcester: Ordric of Croome and Urse the Sheriff.

WLA test pit results 11th - 12th century

WLA test pit results 12th - 14th century

WLA test pit results 15th - 16th century

WLA test pit results 17th - 18th century

WLA test pit results 18th - 20th century

Quantity of finds by date – use the left and right arrows to scroll through the maps, or hover over the image to pause.

A tough time?

Historic documents suggest that a series of changes took place in White Ladies Aston during the 14^th century. Firstly, fewer people are listed on the lay subsidies (tax lists of the day) compared to before. It is also possible that the number of major landholders in White Ladies Aston reduced during the 14^th century. However, challenges with translating early records and the complex system of overlords and tenant lords makes this hard to untangle with certainty. At a national and European level, the 14^th century also saw the Great Famine from 1315-17, Great Bovine Pestilence of 1319-20 and Black Death in 1348-49.

The widespread troubles of the early 14^th century may account for the reduction in tax-eligible households within White Ladies Aston. The lay subsidies, which only list the heads of wealthy households, record 18 names in 1280 and only 9 in 1327. In 1332-3 it is also noted that the settlement as a whole paid under a quarter of the total tax due. Whilst the majority of Worcestershire parishes pay under half that year, only 20 of the 137 parishes pay less than a quarter. It is clear that White Ladies Aston experienced hard times before the arrival of the Black Death, although whether it shrinks in population or just prosperity is hard to tell from records alone.

Artefacts uncovered by test pitting seemingly mirror the recorded late medieval decline. Only two test pits yielded 15^th – 16^th century pottery and both in relatively small quantities. The majority of 12^th – 14^th century finds are ceramic cooking pots, which do become less available after the mid-14^th century, due to households switching to longer-lasting metal versions. However, pottery does continue to be made around Malvern and only a handful of such sherds were found in the test pits, despite households having access to them.

Sherds of medieval pottery from Test Pit 7

Fragments of medieval pottery from test pit 3 showing the colour of the original glaze in the printed pattern. Photo credit: Glynis Dray

At Polly’s Piece, Test Pit 3 revealed ongoing – if dwindling – occupation until the 15^th or 16^th century. Yet the second test pit in Polly’s Piece didn’t implying that at least some medieval house plots were abandoned either during or shortly after the 14^th century. Combined with a few 15^th – 16^th century finds from test pits that lacked medieval activity (Sandfield Cottage and Aston Court Farm), this tentatively points towards a settlement that reduced in prosperity during the 14^th century and possibly a little in population size as well. White Ladies Aston appears to have taken a while to regain its strength, but as it re-grew during the 15^th and 16^th centuries houses began to be built on new plots.

Modern layout

The village today runs north to south along the Evesham Road, yet test pit evidence suggests that the medieval settlement had two separate centres. So, when did the village taken on its current layout?

The beginnings of today’s linear layout can be seen in the 15^th or 16^th century when activity appeared in previously unoccupied areas. However, given the small quantity of artefacts from this date and relative explosion of 17^th – 18^th century test pit finds, it’s likely that the village’s reorientation took place towards the end of this time period.

Digging in Test Pit 7

Want to know more?

Keep an eye out for the full report on White Ladies Aston’s Big Dig, which will be available from our website soon. You can also watch a talk below, which was given to the village in July 2022, and read the 2017-18 test pit report for White Ladies Aston.