Today we say goodbye to rubble in three of our trenches,
goodbye to old theories in another and, finally, goodbye and farewell to one
trench which has now been fully excavated and recorded.
Trench N
All the rubble in trench N has been completely removed,
leaving many areas of pristine soil which probably indicate the medieval ground
level. Within the building itself, a band of orange clay against the east end
of the church, which is also defined by a row of stones, may indicate the place
where the altar once stood, although further investigation is necessary.
Amongst the finds recovered today are multiple fragments of lead sheeting,
which were once part of the roof, painted wall plaster and a very fine medieval
bone parchment pricker.
Trench P
Trench P has also had all its rubble removed, and three
doorways have been found leading into various rooms within the complex: a stone
doorway levelled by tiles leading into the brick building, another stone doorway
levelled by tiles leading into the church and a wooden framed doorway leading
between two rooms within the brick building. We have also found lots of window
came and glass indicative of the building which once stood on the site. Having
removed all the post-medieval demolition, in the next few days we hope to
finally start excavating some of the medieval features associated with the
hospital.
Trench R
Once again, Trench R is looking very clean, tidy and empty.
The floor layer within the building has been removed revealing orange sand
throughout the trench. However, although it may appear empty, there may be
features cut into the sand which we cannot see as the current dry conditions
means it is extremely difficult to see differences between contexts. As a
result, we have sprinkled water across the trench and are allowing it to soak
in overnight, meaning that tomorrow we will be able to decide whether it is
necessary to continue excavation in the trench.
Trench S
Trench S is no more. Its pristine white walls and brown
floors have been completely planned, the sides (sections) of the trenches have
also been drawn and the final photographs have been taken. As a result, Trench
S will not feature any further in this year’s blog. It has, however, achieved
exactly what it was meant to; we have proved the geophysics to be correct, we
have demonstrated that there was a white building in White Stable Close and we
have also retrieved evidence that the building had at least two, and possible
three, changes. As a result, we should celebrate the work of Trench S as well
as commiserating with Courtenay on its demise!
Trench T
Once again, Trench T has decided to surprise us and present
irrefutable evidence that our previous theories have been wrong. It is not a
brick kiln as we first thought, but is instead a lime kiln. Once the rubble had
been removed from the kiln interior, a thick layer of slaked (decomposed) lime
was revealed, including several burnt, but largely whole, limestone blocks. The
presence of a lime kiln within this area is mildly surprising as the
surrounding geology is sand and river clays rather than limestone, where such
kilns are usually found. However, one of the burnt limestone blocks displays
clear toolmarkings which match those found on upstanding masonry within the
abbey precinct. As a result, it would appear that our structure is a
post-medieval feature taking advantage of the many limestone blocks within the
hospital and using them to produce lime. This is an extremely important
material in agricultural practices, including reducing the acidity of sandy
soil for crops and as limewash for the exterior of buildings. This may also
explain the odd robbing practices within the hospital as, rather than taking
all the stone to build housing and other structures, parts of the building were
taken piecemeal for lime as and when the need arose. However, whilst we are
extremely confident of this latest theory, it may not be the last time that
Trench T decides to bamboozle us!
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| The bone parchment pricker from Trench N |
We are almost entering the final week and in many cases we
are only just starting to excavate the medieval layers. As a result, Week 4 may
be our busiest yet and, during a period when most excavations would be winding
down, we will be pushing forward to investigate the medieval occupation of our
buildings. Let’s just hope our diggers are as eager, willing and able as they
have been until now!
