Just a quick update today, as most of the trenches are
removing lots of rubble or earth so there is not much progress to report.
However, there have still been several developments that are noteworthy.
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| Pete and Martin discussing the Trench N wall |
Trench N
We are continuing to reveal the east end of the hospital
church in Trench N. As stated in previous blogs this is very substantial, and
it is somewhat surprising that this has remained whilst its adjoining walls
have apparently been robbed entirely. One possible theory is that the church
has either been extended at some point, so this wall was not visible at the
Dissolution, or it is constructed of poorer quality masonry which was of
comparatively interest to the stone robbers. We are currently hypothesising
that the quality of the stonework indicates the church may be Saxon, although
this is far from proven!
Trench P
Removal of the interior rubble in Trench P has revealed yet
more floor tiles, with additional evidence of burning that is probably linked
to the dismantlement phase of the hospital. However, it also appears that the
building continued to be used during the post-medieval period, potentially as a
barn. This is due to an area of cobbles at the eastern end of the trench that
have been laid deliberately both outside and inside the building. As a result,
it is extremely plausible that these were laid during the post-Dissolution
period to provide a slightly more level surface for agricultural purposes. This
could mean that the several large stones within the trench are in fact pads for
roof supports. In addition, there is a hemispherical spread of rubble on the
outside of the building which may indicate a projecting staircase for the
church tower; this is supported by the large amount of chamfered masonry which
we have found in its vicinity.
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| Flying the quadcopter over Trench R |
Trench R
Trench R is still open! Having ascertained the external edge
of the robber trench yesterday, we assumed this meant the trench was now devoid
of archaeology. However, the silver half penny we found yesterday (see
yesterday’s blog) indicated the building had been erected on made-up ground and
this has been proven today. A large spit has now been removed to reveal more
features, all filled with medieval pottery. As the trench has now been
thoroughly cleaned, these will be excavated tomorrow.
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| Three of the walls in Trench S |
Trench S
The walls in Trench S continue to tantalise and confuse in
equal measure. Removal of the bricks in the northern portion of the trench
revealed another floor layer, this time of crushed and tightly packed
limestone, and yet another possible wall in the west of the trench. This
supports our theory of a later insertion of a doorway, as unlike the previous
brick layer the limestone runs under the later “corridor” to the exterior wall.
However, excavation of the robber trench has proved it to be extremely shallow,
only removing several blocks at the very eastern end of the wall. Unfortunately
this is also the junction between the two north-south running walls; the chalk
one to the north and the limestone one to the south which is on a slightly
different alignment. As a result, we are unable to tell the stratigraphic
relationship between the three walls and thus cannot tell which wall was
constructed first. We suspect it is the limestone wall, as it is of a higher
quality and this usually indicates a medieval as opposed to post-medieval date.
Therefore, like Trench P, the building within Trench S may have both a medieval
and post-medieval story to tell.
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| Cleaning the vaulted structure, Trench T |
Trench T
We have decided that Trench T contains a bridge. This is
suggested by two linear areas with an absence of stone, which may indicate beam
slots to support a wooden bridge over a brick arch. The size of the bricks in
the vaulted structure may indicate the bridge is post-medieval rather than
medieval in date, and thus is either related to the dismantlement or revised use
of the hospital after the Dissolution.
Tomorrow we will be live tweeting our end-of-week trench
talks, so tune in to Twitter or Facebook from 5pm to hear the very latest
developments. In addition, whilst we are extremely grateful for the lack of
thunderstorms this week, the heat today has meant excavating has been very hard
and sweaty work. Therefore, we are all hoping for a repeat of last night’s
events, when an ice cream van turned up at the campsite. Keep your fingers
crossed everyone!
