Site Event/Activity record ECH2596 - St Mary's Churchyard Excavations 1977 (D.Wilson)

Short report on excavation of the remains of a stair turret exposed between the wall of the south aisle and first buttress on south transept. The turret, which was probably octagonal, but only the bases of one complete side and two partial sides were exposed, the latter running under thw south aisle wall and south transept wall respectively. The length of the complete side was 1.35m. The wall of the base was faced with a course of chamfered sandstone blocks on a course of ashlar. The two lowest steps of the staricase and the bottom of the newel were in situ and the space between the steps and the wasll was filled with stone and mortar. The turret clearly pre-dates the present church, with part of the ashlar and chamfered stone base incorporated into the foundations of the South Transept. A few sherds of fourteenth and fifteenth century pottery were found at the level of the rubble foundation of the turret. However, these layers of the excavation area had been much disturbed by two medieval burials, which were incomplete and lying in wet sandy soil just above the water table. A clearly defined layer above the medieval burials contained sherds of Staffordshire mottled ware, feathered ware and slipware, indicating that during the early eighteenth century the level of this part of the churchyard was raised in order to accommodate a new series of burials overlying the medieval ones. This layer contained six skeletons, all articulated but only one complete. Two were laid on the turret base. Coffin nails were present but the coffins themselves were just visible as outline stains. One of the eighteenth century burials contained two skeletons in one coffin, the uppermost laid face down; they are thought to be the remains of Richard Moreton and his son William buried in 1726 in the same coffin. (sources 1-4) Part of original paper archive for the pottery finds from the excavation, including details of pottery recovered from individual area (SCH9654a, card index) and further details and drawings (SCH9654b, A4 paper records). (source 5)