Coventry City Wall

In the civil parish of Coventry.
In the historic county of Warwickshire (Modern Authority of Coventry, 1974 county of West Midlands).

Length of C15 wall which was originally over 2 miles long. Murage granted 1329 but work probably didn't start until 1364 and circuit was only finally completed in 1540. Licence to crenellate granted 1363.

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1363 Nov 20.

A supposed Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1364 Nov 3.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 218462, 218490)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP334790

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 869475

• Web site links
  • http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/wall/wall.html
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p18, 24, 32, 34, 71-2, 85, 87, 90, 127, 167, 169, 173, 185-7, 191, 212, 214, 222, 237, 238, 265, 278
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p256
    Salter, Mike, 1992, Castles and Moated Mansions of Warwickshire (Malvern) p27
    Bateman, J. and Redknap, M., 1986. Coventry: excavations on the town wall 1976–1978. (Coventry: Coventry City Council)
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p487
    Lancaster, J.C., 1975, 'Coventry' in Lobel, M.D. (ed) The Atlas of Historic Towns Vol2 (London: Scolar Press/Historic Towns Trust) p1-13
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p62
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p118-19
    Stephens, W.B.(ed), 1969, VCH Warwick Vol8 p1-23, 208-21
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p222-3
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p240, 416
• Journal Articles
  • Bradley, J and Gaimster, M. (eds), 2004, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2003' Medieval Archaeology Vol48 p294
    Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987' Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p285
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986' Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p166
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1982, ‘Medieval Britain in 1981' Medieval Archaeology Vol26 p212
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1981, ‘Medieval Britain in 1980' Medieval Archaeology Vol25 p214
    Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p214
    Stokes, M.A., 1981, ‘Excavation of medieval defensive ditch at New Law Courts, Earl Street' West Midlands Archaeology Vol24 p61 63-4
    Stokes, M.A., 1980, ‘Excavation of medieval defensive ditch at New Law Courts, Earl Street' West Midlands Archaeology Vol23 p83-4
    Rylatt, M., 1980, ‘Salvage recording of medieval defensive ditch at Kirby House’,West Midlands Archaeology Vol23 p83
    Bateman, J., 1978, ‘Late medieval town defences, Coventry' West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet Vol21 p90-2
    (Rylatt), 1975, Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p241
    (Hobley), 1973, Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p171
    (Radcliffe), 1972, Medieval Archaeology Vol16 p183
    Gooder, E., Woodfield, C. and Chaplin, R., 1966, 'The walls of Coventry' Transactions of the Birmingham Archaeological Society Vol81 p88-138
    1966, Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p200
    1961, Medieval Archaeology Vol5 p324-5
    Fretton, 1881, North Staffordshire Naturalist's Filed Club p31-6
• Guidebooks
  • Goodyer, E., 1967, Coventry's Town Wall (Coventry: Coventry and North Warwickshire History Pamphlets 4)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1361-4) p417
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1364-67) p22
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1381-5) p557
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/warkseng.html#warks13]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p473-4
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p106-7