Roman (cat86)
The foundations of the east wall of the Upper colonia LUB 9 were revealed at the limit of excavations.
LUB 9 East wall of the Roman Upper Defences (Figs 2.13, 2.38 and 2.39)
At the limit of excavation were the rough mortared limestone foundations cg4 of a large north–south wall at least 3m wide. Rough edges observed at the north and south ends of the foundations may indicate gangwork. But the north end looked very ragged, as if it had originally continued further north, and the south end appeared equally so.
The wall foundations cg4 were probably part of the Roman upper city wall, reused as part of the medieval fortifications.
Early Medieval (cat86)
Remains were uncovered of the Angel Choir and north-east transept of St Hugh’s cathedral LUB 10. They were dated by documentary evidence to the late 12th–early 13th century. Abutting the north side of the choir was evidence for a north–south wall LUB 11; it can be dated to between the late
12th and mid 13th century through stratigraphic relationships.
LUB 10 Bishop Hugh’s Choir and Transept (Figs 2.14, 2.40 and 2.41)
The city wall (LUB 9) had been levelled and the ditch to the east backfilled. The cathedral had been extended by Bishop Hugh over and beyond the wall (LUB 9) in the late 12th century (Antram and Stocker 1989, 449). At the limit of excavation, the foundations cg6 of one of the radiating chapels of St Hugh’s Choir were exposed. To the south-west of the excavation was the foundation cg5 of one of the north-eastern apses of the 12th-century north-east transept. To the north of this, but since demolished, was a similar apse (Stocker 1987, 110–124).
LUB 11 North–south wall (Figs 2.14, 2.40 and 2.41) Wall foundations cg12 abutted the north side of St Hugh’s Choir (cg6, LUB 10). They were approxi-mately 1 metre wide, consisting of partly-mortared facing stones up to 0.50m by 0.40m and a rubble core. The wall survived to its highest level to the
Fig 2.13 cat86: north–south wall cg4: LUB 9
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south of the baulk, against the foundation of St Hugh’s Choir (LUB 10). The function of this wall is unclear.
High Medieval to Late Medieval (cat86)
A new chapel was constructed LUB 12. The pottery and architectural fragments both date this event to sometime after the early to early/mid 13th century.
There was a burial outside the chapel LUB 13, which post-dated its construction and was probably medieval in date.
St Hugh’s Choir (LUB 10) was demolished and the Angel Choir constructed LUB 14; documentary evidence indicates that this took place between the mid and late 13th century. Layers built up to the south of the chapel LUB 15 from this period; these were dated by the architectural fragments and pottery.
LUB 12 Chapel construction
(Figs 2.15, 2.38, 2.39, 2.41 and 2.42)
Wall cg12 (LUB 11) was levelled. At the limit of
excavation was a layer of brown silt with patches of mortar cg1; the layer sloped down from west to east. It was sealed by yellow mortar and sand layers with limestone fragments cg34, some of which had been worked. Sealing cg34 were layers cg35, which consisted of silt and sand with charcoal fragments, sealed by sandy clay and mortar, over which were layers of clay and sand and layers of limestone and sandy clay. Sealing layers cg35 was a layer of light yellow-brown clayey sand cg8. At the limit of excavation were layers cg3 which consisted of sand with limestone fragments, sealing sandy clay and further limestone fragments. Although a few typic-ally early-medieval fabrics are present in cg1, cg34 and cg35, the majority of the vessels were LSW2 jugs and jars or pipkins. The glaze on most of these vessels is of a full suspension type coloured with the addition of copper to the glaze. This group (37 post-Roman sherds) is likely to date to between the early and early/mid 13th century. A copper alloy buckle plate (79) <345> from cg35 is ornamented with a simple linear design of punched dots; only the bar of the buckle itself remains and its precise form is therefore unknown, but the little that remains is consistent with a 13th-century date at the earliest.
The lower chapel foundations cut layers cg35 as well as wall foundations cg12 (LUB 11); two cuts were recorded cg2 and cg33. The lower foundations cg32 were constructed of stone blocks, bonded with mortar; they contained a relieving arch and were about 1.80m wide (Fig 2.42). Their alignment was at a slight angle away from the north–south line of the chapel. It seems likely that the lower foundation cg32 was simply a consolidation of the foundation in an area where subsidence was likely, over the fills of the city ditch. Its foundation cut cg33 appeared to be continuous with that of the east wall and buttress foundations cg7. The backfill of the construction trenches cg2 and cg33 was sandy clay and limestone.
Both cg2 and cg33 contained a few sherds of pottery dating between the last quarter of the 12th century and the early 13th; a single jug sherd may post date the early 13th century.
Sealing both levelled foundations cg4 (LUB 9) and lower foundations cg32 to the west were chapel foundations cg7. These mortared and faced lime-stone foundations cg7 were approximately 1.5m wide, with hexagonal buttresses at the north-east and south-east corners, and smaller buttresses on the north and south walls.
Three reused decorative stones in the foundations cg7 of the chapel are limestone blocks bearing raised
‘lattice’ or ‘diaper’ pattern on one face. This device appears in several other instances in the cathedral, in the upper areas of the central arch of the west front and in the lower stage of the crossing tower (both inside and out). This device has been Fig 2.14 cat86: St Hugh‘s choir with chapel foundations
cg6 and transept, and later wall cg12: LUBs 10 and 11
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recognised as a distinctive signature of the mason known as the Third Master (Antram and Stocker 1989, 458): he is mentioned as in office in (or by) the year 1235 and his name is Alexander. A date range of 1230 to 1250 therefore seems likely. The function of the device was to decorate large areas of otherwise blank walling and, for this reason, it only appears in buildings of the very highest status. The pottery evidence does not conflict with the possibility that the chapel, in whose foundations the fragments were incorporated, was built between the early and early to mid 13th century – exactly the time at when the device was current: this allows no time for them to be used in another part of the building, recovered from demolition and re-used. It would therefore seem probable that they were off-cuts from the masons’ workshop and were re-used as foundation material immediately after being rejected for their intended use.
LUB 13 Burial (located on Fig 2.15)
Cutting layer cg8 (LUB 12) was an inhumation cg9.
Only the skull lay within the area of excavation, but the coffin outline was visible with nails in situ.
A single sherd of 12th- or 13th-century date was present in cg9.
LUB 14 Demolition of St Hugh’s Choir and the construction of the Angel Choir (Figs 2.40 and 2.41) The east end of the cathedral was completely remodelled in the second half of the 13th century by the demolition of St Hugh’s later 12th century Choir (cg6, LUB 10) and the construction of the Angel Choir cg36 between 1256 and 1280 (Antram and Stocker 1989, 465). St Hugh’s north-east transept survived (cg5, LUB 10).
LUB 15 Layers
Sealing the levelled wall cg12 (LUB 11) were lime-stone fragments in sandy silt cg37. Sealing cg37 to the east and south of the chapel were limestone fragments in a clay silt layer cg38; this contained architectural fragments and some window glass and lead waste. Sealing layers cg38 were layers of brown sandy and silty clay cg13 with limestone fragments, mortar, tile, bone, and window glass and small architectural fragments. This was in turn sealed by silty sandy clay cg14 with limestone fragments, tile, architectural fragments, nails, some window glass and fragments of lead waste, including cames. Over it were layers cg15 of limestone rubble with oc-casional fragments of brick and again containing architectural fragments, window glass and lead Fig 2.15 cat86: the chapel foundations cg32 and cg7 with well cg10 to east: LUBs 12 and 16
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waste. To the north of the chapel, at the limit of excavation, there was a sequence of similar layers cg26.
Layers cg26 contained nine post-Roman sherds ranging in date from the late Saxon to the late medieval periods. Layers cg13 produced a single sherd of post-medieval pottery; the only sherd of note in this LUB came from a RAER panel jug depicting a scene from a peasant dance (cg15).
Large assemblages of finds were recovered from cg13, cg14 and cg15. These were almost entirely composed of building debris (including Roman brick and tile), mainly small architectural fragments and window glass with some lead waste, probably from roofing, although at least two pieces are identifiable as lead came. The latest material dates to the 17th or 18th century.
These layers included architectural fragments dating from the late 12th and early 13th century, fragments from the demolition of St Hugh’s Choir (LUB 14) and fragments from the construction of the the Angel Choir (LUB 14). It would seem that these layers accumulated from the time of the construction of the Angel Choir, right through to the 17th or 18th century and the demolition of the chapel.
Post-medieval (cat86)
The layers LUB 15 continued to build up, until LUB 17. A brick-lined well LUB 16 was built to the east of the chapel.
The chapel was demolished LUB 17, the interior was disturbed LUB 18 possibly by antiquarian excavations, and the well was backfilled LUB 19.
Then a new chapel LUB 20 was built in the late 18th century; the date for this was recorded as 1773. There were attempts at drainage LUB 21, a wall built to the south LUB 22 and two pits LUB 23. The drainage produced late 17th- to mid-18th-century pottery; the wall and the pits were dated stratigraphically to a similar period.
LUB 16 Well (Fig 2.15)
Cutting layers cg8 (LUB 13) was a circular brick-lined well cg10, located immediately east of the demolished and levelled chapel (LUB 12). It was only excavated to a depth of 1.5m.
LUB 17 Demolition of Chapel, and other alterations?
The chapel was demolished and levelled down to its foundations cg7 (LUB 12) Sealing foundation cg7 (LUB 12) was clayey sand cg17.
In 1772 the chapel was demolished, apparently to avoid the expense of its upkeep (Stocker 1987, 113).
LUB 18 Disturbance: antiquarian excavation?
The layers excavated within the chapel have been
grouped as one, cg22. There were two recorded sequences in the lower levels. At the limit of exca-vation was clayey sand and limestone which was sealed by pebbles with limestone fragments in light sandy clay, over which was more sandy clay; this was sealed by limestone and sandstone fragments in clay. Also at the limit of excavation were limestone in sand silt and pebbles sealed by sandy clay; over this was clay with mortar and bone, followed by clay with limestone. Both sequences were sealed by clay with fragments of Roman painted plaster over which was sandy mortar and limestone filling hollows in the underlying layer.
The fragments of medieval pottery (69 post-Roman sherds) from cg22 were of early/mid to late 13th-century date. There was also a very large amount of residual Roman, together with late Saxon and Saxo-Norman material. It would seem from this evidence that these layers were a secondary deposit, post-dating the construction of the chapel. The mixed composition of the finds assemblage, which includes residual Roman material and a large proportion of structural debris (particularly architectural frag-ments), also suggests redeposited material, while the latest glass indicates an 18th century or later date.
James Essex supervised the demolition of the chapel and the reason for the disturbance of layers within the chapel may well have been due to antiquarian excavations undertaken by him during demolition. He took a keen interest in the develop-ment of the cathedral and wrote about his obser-vations in Archaeologia (Essex 1777).
LUB 19 Backfill of well
The upper part of the well cg10 (LUB 16) had been demolished and the well backfilled with brown loam and yellow-brown sandy clay cg11 with limestone rubble, bricks, pebbles and mortar. Cg11 produced a small group of pottery (54 post-Roman sherds) with the contemporary material dating to the 18th century. The finds assemblage is of similarly mixed composition to that from cg22, perhaps suggesting that the disturbance LUB 18 and the backfill of the well were either contemporary or contained material from the same source.
LUB 20 Chapel (Figs 2.16 and 2.38)
At the bottom of the trench in the northern part of the site was a circular posthole cg27; it contained a sherd of pottery dating from the 18th century. The posthole, as layer cg26 (LUB 15), was sealed by a layer of trampled mortar and limestone fragments in dark loam cg29. Pottery from cg29 (7 post-Roman sherds) dated from the 17th to 18th centuries. Several architectural fragments and fragments of lead (?roofing) waste were also recovered from cg29.
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In 1773 the new chapel cg23 was built (Stocker 1987, 113). It was probably associated with trample cg29 and possible scaffold hole cg27. This new chapel was a small structure, Its dimensions may have been governed by the presence of the solid foundations of the Roman wall (LUB 9). The central buttress of the new chapel protruded slightly be-yond this, however, to be partly founded on chapel backfill rubble cg22 (LUB 18).
LUB 21 Drainage (Figs 2.16 and 2.43)
Cutting cg29 (LUB 20) was an arc of stones cg30 exposed at the edge of excavation north of the chapel. These may have been the remains of a small soakaway but it was not fully excavated, and its significance is unclear. Two of the stones are both pieces of sandstone paving with the setting of spikes or railings: the two fragments fit together to define a line of spikes with one at right angles (as a brace?).
The stones do not appear to be weathered and may therefore come from an internal feature, such as a railing around a tomb or monument: this would suggest a post-medieval date.
The foot of a stone coffin cg24 (Fig 2.43), re-deposited in the 18th century or later, partly overlay the foundations of the 1773 chapel (LUB 20). This may well have come from a burial within the chapel, but the identity and date of the burial is not known.
The stone coffin fragment seems to have been used as a gutter-base, leading into stone-lined drain cg19, which cut through the demolished south wall cg7 (LUB 12) of the chapel and fed into sump cg16 at the limit of excavation. The sump was a brick-lined circular feature which acted as a soakaway. Sump cg16 produced a few sherds of late 17th to mid 18th-century date and cg19 part of a wine bottle, probably of 18th-century date. Sealing both sump cg16 and layer cg17 (LUB 17) was sandy clay with fragments of limestone cg18.
LUB 22 Wall (Figs 2.16 and 2.41)
A roughly coursed limestone wall cg21 was built, partially sealing the exposed remains of the demol-ished chapel cg6 (LUB 10) of St Hugh‘s Choir.
LUB 23 Pits
One pit cg20 (unplanned) probed down to the Roman wall cg4 (LUB 9) and the other cg25 (unplanned) dug down within the area of the chapel (LUB 12).
Modern (cat86)
Sealing the whole excavation were layers and service trenches LUB 24.
LUB 24 Dumps and service trenches
Sealing cg15 (LUB 15), cg11 (LUB 19), cg18, cg19, cg24 and cg30 (LUB 21), cg21 (LUB 22), cg20 and cg25 (both LUB 23) were loam layers cg31 with limestone, glass, brick, mortar, bone, worked stone and clinker, sealed by grass and cut by service trenches. The positions of the wall foundations cg7 remained visible as grassy mounds up to the time of the excavation.
An interesting group of pottery (384 post-Roman sherds) was recovered from layers cg31. There was a large number of 17th- and 18th- century vessels present which probably represented disturbed dumped material from occupation in the area prior to the 1773 chapel demolition/construction (LUB 20). A large assemblage of registered finds was also recovered from layers cg31; this material consists predominantly of building debris, particularly architectural fragments and window glass, and includes material that almost certainly relates to the demolition of the chapel. A further massive quantity (in excess of 3,000 pieces) of window glass of post medieval and later date, and some lead roofing waste, was also found but only a sample kept. A few pieces of 16th- and 17th-century date, Fig 2.16 cat86: new chapel cg23 and drainage with
wall cg21 to south: LUBs 20, 21 and 22
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including a copper alloy book clasp (2) <44> and several lead seals (1) <5, 6, 9> may also represent disturbed occupation material derived from the same source as the pottery noted above.