Research Framework for the Archaeology of Wales - Fframwaith Ymchwil i Archaeoleg Cymru

Introducing a Research Framework for the Archaeology of Wales

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Cymraeg

POST-MEDIEVAL WALES (1539 – 1750)

The post-medieval period was one of radical change in Wales. The suppression of the monasteries completed in 1539 produced wholesale reorganisation of the economy, the foundation or expansion of great secular estates and the beginnings of diverse building traditions. The Act of Union with England in 1536 prompted the growth of county towns.

The following are extracts/summaries of the key priorities identified for the period. For the full text, click on the All Wales Final Document link below.

Quantification - The rate of survival in this period creates opportunities to study regional patterns and change over time, but this requires systematic assessment of the resource.
Settlement - Changes in rural settlement and vernacular housing between the medieval and post-medieval periods should be better understood, and pre-industrial settlement patterns underlying urban areas should be investigated to shed light on the growth of towns.
Economic change - Changing agricultural, horticultural and industrial practices on the lands lost by the monasteries should be studied.
Land boundaries - Interdisciplinary studies of parkland and field boundaries are needed to identify their value as ecological and archaeological resources.