ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONITORING REPORT
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONITORING REPORT SCCAS REPORT No. 2013/118
Parish: Hoxne Planning Application No.: N/A
Church of St Peter and St Paul, test holes against the north aisle wall
OASIS No. HER Event No.:
Address:
Grid Reference: TM 1814 7750 Number of site visits: 1 Date of visit: 24 September 2013
Background Work is planned to address the damp in the exterior wall of the north aisle of the church. The combination of a concrete floor laid over a polythene sheet within the north aisle and cement-based render on the interior face of the north wall has prevented the building from ‘breathing’ and trapped moisture within the fabric. As part of a preliminary evaluation, two test holes were excavated to identify the potential archaeological constraints to any proposed plans to ameliorate the damp problem The work was commissioned by Brian Haward, the project architect on behalf of the Hoxne PCC. Methodology The internal test-hole was excavated by the monitoring archaeologist and the external one by a member of R & J Hogg’s staff. Sections of the test-holes were drawn and combined to produce the cross-section through the north wall (Fig.2) and an indicative diagram of the layout of nave was sketched onto a plot of the church taken from an OS map (Fig.1). At the time of the visit furniture stacked up at the east end of the aisle obscured much of the floor. Results General observations: In style the arcade of arches that divide the north aisle from the nave dates to the 13th century and is the oldest visibly datable part of the church (Pl.1). The nave was increased in length in the 15th century and the extent of the outer walls of the aisle correspond with the later nave’s dimensions, as demonstrated by the stone quoins on the outside of the church (Pl. 2). The aisle windows also date to 15th century suggesting that the aisle itself is much altered.
1
On the inside of the church most of the northern aisle had been laid to concrete in the relatively recent past; the concrete spanned about two thirds of the aisle width and butted directly against the north wall. The remainder of the aisle was floored with tiles that were laid probably during the extensive restoration of the building in the mid 19th century. There are four tombs (Pls.3 and 4) bordering the aisle at its east end, located at the bottom of the short flight of steps at the entrance to the Lady Chapel. The tombs are marked with floor slabs which are indented for brass plates, these are missing but the graves are undoubtedly medieval, or at the latest Tudor in date. The surface of the concrete, tiles and tomb slabs are all at the same level; the tiles and concrete have been laid around the monuments suggesting that the floor slabs have not been moved and, despite all of the original floor surfaces being replaced, the floor level has remained unchanged. This assumption seems to be supported by the floor’s relationship with the moulded bases of the arcade columns which looks to be correct. Test-hole 1 (Fig.2 and Pl.5) Test-hole 1 showed that the concrete floor is 100-120mm thick and was poured onto a steel reinforcing mesh laid over a polythene sheet. The cement-based render on the wall face starts level with the top of the concrete floor suggesting that the two are part of the same tranche of repair work. Cutting out the concrete floor exposed the west end of a brick-built, barrel-vaulted tomb which had been constructed tight against the inside face of the aisle north wall. There was no commemorative wall-tablet above the tomb or any other above ground acknowledgement that a grave was located here. The concrete was laid directly onto the tomb structure but, apart from the loss of the floor slab, the tomb brickwork appeared undamaged; the crown of the vault rises to the underside of the concrete but remains unbreached. A bed of mortar with the impression of what was thought to be a floor tile was observed on the upper face of the tomb’s end wall confirming that no truncation has occurred. The impression was of a tile laid diagonally, similar to the orientation of the remaining 19th century ones, but the tile was smaller. The tomb was made up of plain ‘handmade’ bricks in a red sandy fabric with large flint inclusions bonded with a white, fine lime mortar. The mortar is consistent with post-medieval mixes and the brick size suggests a late 17th century date. Fragments of broken but unused examples of the same brick were found in the backfill down the side of the vault. Beyond the west end of the tomb the base of the aisle wall was found at 300mm below the floor surface. The wall was constructed on top of a minimal footing consisting of a sand and gravel-filled trench cut into the natural clay. The footing trench width was slightly
2
greater than that of the wall and was deeper that the test-hole excavation which was stopped at 450mm below the floor surface. Test-hole 2 (Fig 2 and Pls.6 and 7) The exterior ground level is 200mm higher than the floor surface within. The outer face of the aisle wall is bordered by a trench, 650mm wide by 250mm deep, packed with grey/green boulder clay. The clay is similar to that which makes up the natural geology about a metre down and the most likely source would be the moat ditch that surrounds the (former) vicarage next door. The trench is cut into the surface of the topsoil and was presumably designed to be a surface feature forming a water-resistant seal or gutter at the base of the wall. A piece of roof tile was recovered from the topsoil beneath the clay, and while it was not closely datable indicates that the clay is likely to be a post-18th century addition. Below ground, the bottom three courses of flint at the base of the wall project forward to form a stepped foot. The top of this step coincides with the approximate floor level within the church and was probably at, or close to, the exterior ground level when the aisle wall was built. Beneath the wall the north side of the gravel-filled foundation trench was seen cutting the natural subsoil. Conclusion The evidence indicates that the floor levels within the aisle have not changed since at least the 15th century and therefore the present 19th century and 20th century tile and concrete floors have replaced any earlier floor surfaces rather than being laid over them. The demonstration that sub-terrain features, like the tomb vault, were exposed when the concrete was laid, means that it is unlikely that any evidence of medieval floor still remain. There is however a strong likelihood that other graves exist intact below the floor and the pattern of the remaining floor slabs and the position of the one found in the test hole would indicate that other tombs are likely to be aligned in rows on each side of the aisle. Whilst the discovered tomb probably post-dates the 17th century, the graves at the east end of the aisle (and now set in concrete) are likely to be medieval. The provision for monumental brasses would indicate a date of between the early 14th and late 16th century and the richness of the tombs (at least one is a polished stone (?Purbeck marble)) help characterise the north aisle as the long-time burial place of the parish’s elite - The removal of the brasses is presumably another example of work of the mid-17th century puritan iconoclasts who have removed the heads of most of (all of) the medieval figures in the church.
3
© Crown Copyright. All rights reserved Suffolk County Council Licence No. 1000233095 2013
Fig 1. Diagram of the church showing position of test holes and tomb floor slabs
Fig 2. Sections of test-holes 1 and 2 combined to create a cross-section through the north aisle’s north wall
Finds: 1 frag of post-medieval CBM Recorded by: David Gill
Date: 26th September 2013 4
Plate 1. 13th century arcade separating the aisle from the nave. Test-hole 1 was excavated below the central window in the middle of the picture.
Plate 2. Limestone quoins showing the original end of the nave overlaid by the west end of the aisle. The perpendicular window with a shallow pitched arch dates the west wall of the aisle to the 15th century. The windows in the north wall are the same design.
Plate 3. Floor slab on the north side of the aisle - note the indented top for the attachment of a brass plate; the concrete was cast around the in- situ monument.
Plate 4. Aligned floor slabs on the south side of the aisle set around with 19th century tiles (the second tomb is beneath the plastic chair at the top of the picture). The black tile at the bottom right of the slab has been cut with a (?)disc-cutter so the relationship with the tiles is ambiguous
Plate 5. Test pit 1 showing the west end of a brick built tomb constructed against the north wall of the aisle
Plate 6.Test-hole 2 showing the clay fill at the top of the section packed against the outer face of the aisle wall. The wall is stepped out at the base; the internal floor level is approximately at the top of this step
Plate 7. Test pit 2 showing the extent of the bonded wall below ground. The scale is marked in half metres
Parish: Hoxne Planning Application No.: N/A
Church of St Peter and St Paul, test holes against the north aisle wall
OASIS No. HER Event No.:
Address:
Grid Reference: TM 1814 7750 Number of site visits: 1 Date of visit: 24 September 2013
Background Work is planned to address the damp in the exterior wall of the north aisle of the church. The combination of a concrete floor laid over a polythene sheet within the north aisle and cement-based render on the interior face of the north wall has prevented the building from ‘breathing’ and trapped moisture within the fabric. As part of a preliminary evaluation, two test holes were excavated to identify the potential archaeological constraints to any proposed plans to ameliorate the damp problem The work was commissioned by Brian Haward, the project architect on behalf of the Hoxne PCC. Methodology The internal test-hole was excavated by the monitoring archaeologist and the external one by a member of R & J Hogg’s staff. Sections of the test-holes were drawn and combined to produce the cross-section through the north wall (Fig.2) and an indicative diagram of the layout of nave was sketched onto a plot of the church taken from an OS map (Fig.1). At the time of the visit furniture stacked up at the east end of the aisle obscured much of the floor. Results General observations: In style the arcade of arches that divide the north aisle from the nave dates to the 13th century and is the oldest visibly datable part of the church (Pl.1). The nave was increased in length in the 15th century and the extent of the outer walls of the aisle correspond with the later nave’s dimensions, as demonstrated by the stone quoins on the outside of the church (Pl. 2). The aisle windows also date to 15th century suggesting that the aisle itself is much altered.
1
On the inside of the church most of the northern aisle had been laid to concrete in the relatively recent past; the concrete spanned about two thirds of the aisle width and butted directly against the north wall. The remainder of the aisle was floored with tiles that were laid probably during the extensive restoration of the building in the mid 19th century. There are four tombs (Pls.3 and 4) bordering the aisle at its east end, located at the bottom of the short flight of steps at the entrance to the Lady Chapel. The tombs are marked with floor slabs which are indented for brass plates, these are missing but the graves are undoubtedly medieval, or at the latest Tudor in date. The surface of the concrete, tiles and tomb slabs are all at the same level; the tiles and concrete have been laid around the monuments suggesting that the floor slabs have not been moved and, despite all of the original floor surfaces being replaced, the floor level has remained unchanged. This assumption seems to be supported by the floor’s relationship with the moulded bases of the arcade columns which looks to be correct. Test-hole 1 (Fig.2 and Pl.5) Test-hole 1 showed that the concrete floor is 100-120mm thick and was poured onto a steel reinforcing mesh laid over a polythene sheet. The cement-based render on the wall face starts level with the top of the concrete floor suggesting that the two are part of the same tranche of repair work. Cutting out the concrete floor exposed the west end of a brick-built, barrel-vaulted tomb which had been constructed tight against the inside face of the aisle north wall. There was no commemorative wall-tablet above the tomb or any other above ground acknowledgement that a grave was located here. The concrete was laid directly onto the tomb structure but, apart from the loss of the floor slab, the tomb brickwork appeared undamaged; the crown of the vault rises to the underside of the concrete but remains unbreached. A bed of mortar with the impression of what was thought to be a floor tile was observed on the upper face of the tomb’s end wall confirming that no truncation has occurred. The impression was of a tile laid diagonally, similar to the orientation of the remaining 19th century ones, but the tile was smaller. The tomb was made up of plain ‘handmade’ bricks in a red sandy fabric with large flint inclusions bonded with a white, fine lime mortar. The mortar is consistent with post-medieval mixes and the brick size suggests a late 17th century date. Fragments of broken but unused examples of the same brick were found in the backfill down the side of the vault. Beyond the west end of the tomb the base of the aisle wall was found at 300mm below the floor surface. The wall was constructed on top of a minimal footing consisting of a sand and gravel-filled trench cut into the natural clay. The footing trench width was slightly
2
greater than that of the wall and was deeper that the test-hole excavation which was stopped at 450mm below the floor surface. Test-hole 2 (Fig 2 and Pls.6 and 7) The exterior ground level is 200mm higher than the floor surface within. The outer face of the aisle wall is bordered by a trench, 650mm wide by 250mm deep, packed with grey/green boulder clay. The clay is similar to that which makes up the natural geology about a metre down and the most likely source would be the moat ditch that surrounds the (former) vicarage next door. The trench is cut into the surface of the topsoil and was presumably designed to be a surface feature forming a water-resistant seal or gutter at the base of the wall. A piece of roof tile was recovered from the topsoil beneath the clay, and while it was not closely datable indicates that the clay is likely to be a post-18th century addition. Below ground, the bottom three courses of flint at the base of the wall project forward to form a stepped foot. The top of this step coincides with the approximate floor level within the church and was probably at, or close to, the exterior ground level when the aisle wall was built. Beneath the wall the north side of the gravel-filled foundation trench was seen cutting the natural subsoil. Conclusion The evidence indicates that the floor levels within the aisle have not changed since at least the 15th century and therefore the present 19th century and 20th century tile and concrete floors have replaced any earlier floor surfaces rather than being laid over them. The demonstration that sub-terrain features, like the tomb vault, were exposed when the concrete was laid, means that it is unlikely that any evidence of medieval floor still remain. There is however a strong likelihood that other graves exist intact below the floor and the pattern of the remaining floor slabs and the position of the one found in the test hole would indicate that other tombs are likely to be aligned in rows on each side of the aisle. Whilst the discovered tomb probably post-dates the 17th century, the graves at the east end of the aisle (and now set in concrete) are likely to be medieval. The provision for monumental brasses would indicate a date of between the early 14th and late 16th century and the richness of the tombs (at least one is a polished stone (?Purbeck marble)) help characterise the north aisle as the long-time burial place of the parish’s elite - The removal of the brasses is presumably another example of work of the mid-17th century puritan iconoclasts who have removed the heads of most of (all of) the medieval figures in the church.
3
© Crown Copyright. All rights reserved Suffolk County Council Licence No. 1000233095 2013
Fig 1. Diagram of the church showing position of test holes and tomb floor slabs
Fig 2. Sections of test-holes 1 and 2 combined to create a cross-section through the north aisle’s north wall
Finds: 1 frag of post-medieval CBM Recorded by: David Gill
Date: 26th September 2013 4
Plate 1. 13th century arcade separating the aisle from the nave. Test-hole 1 was excavated below the central window in the middle of the picture.
Plate 2. Limestone quoins showing the original end of the nave overlaid by the west end of the aisle. The perpendicular window with a shallow pitched arch dates the west wall of the aisle to the 15th century. The windows in the north wall are the same design.
Plate 3. Floor slab on the north side of the aisle - note the indented top for the attachment of a brass plate; the concrete was cast around the in- situ monument.
Plate 4. Aligned floor slabs on the south side of the aisle set around with 19th century tiles (the second tomb is beneath the plastic chair at the top of the picture). The black tile at the bottom right of the slab has been cut with a (?)disc-cutter so the relationship with the tiles is ambiguous
Plate 5. Test pit 1 showing the west end of a brick built tomb constructed against the north wall of the aisle
Plate 6.Test-hole 2 showing the clay fill at the top of the section packed against the outer face of the aisle wall. The wall is stepped out at the base; the internal floor level is approximately at the top of this step
Plate 7. Test pit 2 showing the extent of the bonded wall below ground. The scale is marked in half metres
