The extension of parish churches in medieval Warwickshire

Surviving medieval parish churches are palimpsests which reflect the major socioeconomic developments of the Middle Ages. Analysis of the distribution of nave and aisle floor space in medieval churches in Warwickshire indicates a pronounced space-time coincidence between periods of maximum floor area extension and maximum population growth, suggesting that population pressure may have been a major determinant of church size. This relationship was conditioned throughout the Middle Ages by growing constraints imposed by parish size on the demand for nave accommodation and by the allocation of resources to church building.