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c.. A \I 'ii' ., 'D~ "\ ~ ~G ,'LI.l.-\ 6;, b {.*" COTSWOLD ARChIlEOi..OGY CIRENCESTER: ANGLO-SAXON CHURCH AND MEDIEVAL ABBEY COTSWOL 0 ARCHAEOLO~/C/U TRUST LTD.. CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS IV ClRENCESTER ANGLO-SAXON CHURCH AND MEDIEVAL ABBEY by David J. Wilkinson and Alan D. McWhirr Excavations directed byJ. S. Wacher (1964), A. D. McWhirr (1965) and P. D. C. Brown (1965-6) WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM R. Brownsword, R. M. Bryant, T. C. Darvill, G. Egan, A. K B. Evans, C. M. Heighway, C. A. Ireland, R. D. H. Gem, N. Griffiths, M. Harman, D. R. Hook, J.Keely, N. Mayhew, E. E. H. Pitt, J. F. Rhodes, L. Viner, A. G. Vince Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd Cirencester 1998 © Authors and Corswold Archaeological Trust Ltd, 1998 Headquarters Building, Unit 9, Kemble Business Park, Cirencester, Glos. GL7 6BQ © Original site archive, Cotswold District Council, 1998 ISBN 0 9523196 2 4 The publication ofthis volume has been supported by English Heritage. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission ofCotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd. Cover illustration: the Spital Gate of Cirencester Abbey. Copyright: Cirencester Town Cot/neil Produced by Past Historic, King's Stanley, Gloucestershire Printed in Great Britain by J.W. Arrowsmith Ltd., Bristol CONTENTS List of figures vu Acknowledgements - A. D. McWhirr. Xl INTRODUCTION - A. D. McWhirt 1 HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND The topographical development of the site - R. M. Bryant and C. M Heighway 7 Historical evidence for the Anglo-Saxon church and medieval abbey - A. K B. Evans 14 THE EXCAVATIONS Summary ofphases. 19 Roman buildings beneath the Anglo-Saxon church and medieval abbey - J. Keely and L Viner 19 The Anglo-Saxon church; the archaeological evidence - P. D. C. Brown and A. K. B. Evans 23 The Anglo-Saxon church at Cirencester: a reconstruction and evaluation - R. D. H. Gem 32 The structures ofphase 1b - R. M. Bryant 39 The Augustinian abbey of St Mary - D. J. Wilkinson 43 The destruction of the abbey buildings and post-dissolution features - D. J. Wilkinson 67 THE FINDS Medieval and later coins and reckoning counters - R. Reece, N. Mayhew and J. F. Rhodes 71 Objects of silver and copper alloy - D. J. Wilkinson with R. Brownsword, D. R. Hook, E. E. H. Pitt, N. Griffiths, C. M. Heighway 72 Iron objects - D. J. Wilkinson 84 Lead and pewter objects - D. J. Wi1kinson 92 Lead Cloth Seal - G. Egan 92 Worked bone objects 94 Clay pipes - D. J. Wilkinson and A. Peacey 94 Post-medieval vessel glass - D. J. Wilkinson 97 Portable objects of stone - D. J. Wilkinson with T. C. Darvill 97 The pottery - C. A. Ireland 98 Roof tile 141 Medieval floor tiles - A. G. Vince 142 Architectural stonework - D. J. Wilkinson 156 BURIALS - C. M. Heighway, M. Harman, L. Viner and D. J. Wilkinson 163 Abbreviations 169 Bibliography 169 Index 175 LIST OF FIGURES 1. The location of Cirencester X11 2. Cirencester: the abbey precinct and north part of the town 2 3. General view of the 1964 excavations 3 4. Trench outlines with excavation codes 5 5. Topographical development: Roman and post-Roman 8 6. Topographical development: 9th-early 12th centuries 9 7. Topographical development: 12th century 10 8. Topographical development: 13th-18th centuries 12 9. Topographical development 1795 and 1964 13 10. Plan of Roman building XXV.1 21 11. Plan of Roman building XXVLl 22 12. Plan of east end ofAnglo-Saxon church 24 13. Trench 65 B M V, Section 91 through Anglo-Saxon apse and Roman features 25 14. Foundation plan ofthe Anglo-Saxon church 26 15. Suggested ground plan ofthe Anglo-Saxon church 27 16. Roman and Anglo-Saxon walls in BN I and II 28 17. Roman walls and grave H 156 under nave north arcade in BL viii 28 18. View ofAnglo-Saxon south aisle wall and south nave wall,with burials of11th-12th century 28 19. Section 120/121/133, P vi, vii west end ofAnglo-Saxon church 29 20. Anglo-Saxon apse and crypt floor above Roman drain (bottom left) 30 21. Anglo-Saxon apse cutting Roman wall 30 22. The bonding 0 f the north porticus wall 109 with nave wall 117 31 23. View north in trench BN ii showing Anglo-Saxon walls 117 and 107 31 24. View south in trench BV i showing north porticus wall 111 32 25. Anglo-Saxon crypt floor looking west showing floor of crypt and curving inner crypt wall 33 26. Top: reconstructed ground plan and elevation ofthe Anglo-Saxon church (R. D. Gem) 34 27. Reconstruction of the Anglo-Saxon church by Simon James 35 28. Carved stone built into wall 201 36 29. Plan of features of phase 1B 38 30. Wall 201 of building A 39 31. Section of layers outside west end ofabbey church 40 32. Section 26 and 15 through undercroft and slype 42 33. Plan of the abbey church in the 12th century, showing later additions opposite 43 34. View across north presbytery aisle looking south, showing burial H201 43 35. Section 49 across presbytery and aisles 44 36. Section 60 north-south through the north presbytery aisle 45 37. North transept apse cut by later wall 400 ofchapel looking north-west 46 38. North transept showing junction between W333 and W314 looking south 46 39. Section 70 through crossing 47 40. Section 72 through abbey nave 48 41. The west end of the abbey church showing stone B, with courtyard layer running up to it 49 42. The west wall of the abbey church showing stone A 50 43. Plan of chapter house and east claustral range c. 1170 51 44. General view north-east of east cloister range during excavation 52 45. North transept, chapel, and chapter house, looking north-east 52 46. General view of undercroft looking north 53 47. Plan of east end ofnorth presbytery aisle and later eastern extension 54 48. North wall ofnorth presbytery aisle looking west 55 vin CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS IV 49. Eastern extension: 14th-century buttress bonded to wall 411 with tile floor 1 55 50. South transept, showing buttresses ofvarious phases, looking south 56 51. Plan of south transept 56 52. Section 71 through crossing . 58 53. Crossing area: plan, showing foundations of choir benches 59 54. View north ofcrossing showing footings of choir seat foundations 60 55. View north of nave crossing showing choir seating foundation 60 56. View south ofnave crossing showing choir seating foundation 60 57. Plan of chapter house and claustral ranges c. 1500 AD 61 58. Section 36, 38 south-north from north transept through chapter house 62 59. Section 28, 27 south-north through east cloister range (trenches BH iv, BH v) 63 60. General view looking north across north transept tile floor 2 and step 64 61. General view looking south ofcloister area 65 62. General view ofeast cloister range looking south 66 63. View ofeast cloister range looking west 66 64. Plan of features in north area of east cloister range 66 65. Cirencester: the seat ofAllen Bathurst Esq (derail) 67 66. 'The Abbey: the Seat ofThomas Master Esq' by Kip, 1712, from Atkins 1712 68 67. Copper alloy and silver small finds 72 68. Copper alloy small finds 74 69. Copper alloy small finds 75 70. Copper alloy small finds 76 71. Copper alloy small finds 78 72. Copper alloy small finds 80 73. Copper alloy small finds 81 74. Copper alloy small finds 82 75. Iron objects 85 76. Iron objects 86 77. Iron objects 87 78. Iron objects 88 79. Iron objects 90 80. Iron objects 91 81. Lead seals 92 82. Lead stars 93 83. Pewter chalice 93 84. Lead cloth seal 94 85. Clay pipes 95 86. Clay pipes 96 87. Medieval pottery nos. 1-21 128 88. Medieval pottery nos. 22-39 129 89. Medieval pottery nos. 40-56 130 90. Medieval pottery nos. 57-65 132 91. Medieval pottery nos.66-84 133 92. Medieval pottery nos.85-105 134 93. Medieval pottery nos. 106-122 136 94. Late medieval pottery nos. 123-159 137 95. Post-medieval pottery nos. 160-180 138 96. Post-medieval pottery nos. 181-187 139 97. Post-medieval pottery nos. 188-203 140 98. Roof furniture 141 99. Medieval floor tiles: floor 1 , in easr extension to abbey church 142 100. Medieval tile floor, floor 2, in north transept 143 101. Medieval tile floor, floor 3, in north-east range of cloister 144 102. Medieval floor tiles cm 1-10 148 103. Medieval floor tiles em 11-18 149 104. Medieval floor tiles cm 19-32 150 105. Medieval floor tiles cm 33-47 151 106. Medieval floor tiles em 48-67 152 107. Medieval floor tiles cm 68-89 153 108. Medieval floor tiles cm 90-110 154 109. Medieval floor tiles cm 111-129 155 110. Medieval floor tiles cm 130-140 155 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix 111. Architectural stonework 159 112. Architectural stonework: tracery screen 160 113. Decorated grave cover ofburial H160 165 114. Grave cover ofWalter of Cheltenham, burial H1Dl 166 115. Burial H59, with chalice 166 116. BuriaIHI44incist: 11th-12th century 167 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people assisted on the 1964-5 excavations, some on site, others behind the scene. Supervisors included, Anna Bachelier, Peter Bellwood, Peter Broxton, Christine Butcher, Philippa Cullen, Maggie Heewitt, Helen McWhirr, Christine Mahany, Marion Overs, H. Smith, Anna Wacher. Photography on site was carried out by Gilly Jones (1964) and Roger Rumens (1965).
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