Henley in Arden Town Gates (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Henley in Arden.
In the historic county of Warwickshire.
Modern Authority of Warwickshire.
1974 county of Warwickshire.
Medieval County of Warwickshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SP151660
Latitude 52.29205° Longitude -1.77996°

Henley in Arden Town Gates has been described as a Urban Defence although is doubtful that it was such.

There are no visible remains.

Description

Defensive town gates, not associated with wall or bank, now vanished. (Bond)

In the Middle Ages there was a bargate at the south end of the street (P.R.O. Anct. D., A 13228), and probably at the north end, where in 1725, when the road was turnpiked, a Toll Gate House was built. This was pulled down in 1894, but the Weighing-Machine House is still standing. (VCH fn. 1)

Mentioned in a deed of 16 May, 23 Henry VII (1508) 'lytyll gardenplace withowte the bareyates of the towne of Henley' (Ancient Deeds)

Comments

Almost certainly toll bars associated with the collection of market taxes, rather than anything 'defensive'. Might be associated with the particular needs associated with the collection of pavage, which the borough was granted in 1336, 1344 and 1383 (VCH), although useful for the collection of all market tolls. The question here may be how common were such bar gates? Any town and many villages may have wanted such a way of preventing livestock wandering around.
Given map reference for Henley parish church.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record.

Books
- Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 157 (listed as gates only)
  Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 266
  Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  Salzman, L.F. (ed), 1945, VCH Warwickshire Vol. 3 p. 206 fn1 online transcription
Periodical Articles
- Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed)), 1906, A Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds Vol. 5 no. 13228 online transcription
  National Archives Ancient Deeds E40/13228 online reference

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