Site Event/Activity record ECH4531 - Proposed Repairs to the Churchyard Boundary Wall at St. Chad's Parish Church, Farndon: An Archaeological Evaluation

A c.10m stretch of cemetery retaining wall on the north side of the churchyard of St. Chad's Church Farndon, is buckling. A rapid archaeological evaluation took place in Feb 2009 prior to a programme of stabilisation ( to include the controlled dismantling and rebuilding of the unstable length.) The evaluation consisted of the manual excavation of three linear trenches, each aligned roughly east-west and measuring up to 2 x c.0.7m, the findings from the trenches have demonstrated that deposits up to 1.3m thick lie to the rear of the buckled stretch of cemetery boundary wall. A Homogenous layer of reddish brown, slightly clayey sand-silt 9c.0.40-0.55m deep was recorded in each trench and is of late post medieval date. A Bone Apple corer/cheese sampler, clay tobacco pipe stem, post medieval pottery and a George III Penny dated 1805 were recovered from this layer. This layer clearly pre-dates the construction of the current sandstone cemetery wall, as its construction trench cuts through it. A compacted layer of yellowish brown sandy silt found in trenches 1 and 2 is of uncertain date and Character. It may represent natural accumulation, perhaps a thin deposit of glacial drift, particularly as seals the red sandstone bedrock. This layer slopes gradually downhill from south to north which may reflect natural topography or it could possible represent the lip of a boundary ditch which could be evidence of a precursor to the existing sandstone wall. A metalled surface was recorded in trench 3 is or uncertain date, alignment and extent. A fragment of ceramic building material recovered from the surface may be roman. Only additional investigation would establish the true character and date of the archaeology. Neither in situ burials nor residual disarticulated human skeletal material were recorded within the test trenches and it can be concluded with adegree of confidence that no buriials exisit within a 0.70m corridor immediatley to the rear od the buckled stretch of cemetery wall (approx 10m in length). However the evaluation has demonstrated that archaeological deposits and features of merit do survive within the proposed area of disturbance. The vulnerability of the remains will depend upon the extent and depth of ground disturbance associated with the proposed rebuilding. (1)