Monument record 15976 - 12th century timber building remains, area of the Undercroft, Norton Priory

<1> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2014, Proposed New Museum Building at Norton Priory, Runcorn, Chesire. An Archaeological Evaluation., R3931 (Client Report). SCH7553.

Archaeological investigations were undertaken in 2015-16 at Norton Priory in advance of the construction of a new museum building; work also included excavation of the area of the Undercroft, where subsidence of the floor required rectifying. In the south-east corner of the Undercroft a curving line of earth-fast, oak posts, set in a trench and extending for circa 9m, was encountered along with some other post pits; these have been interpreted as the fragmentary remains of a timber building. One of the timbers was notched and was identified as part of a potential plank and muntin screen. The line of timber posts had been cut by the masonry foundation of the later west range priory building. One of the large post pits contained the well preserved base of a large, squared, flat-bottomed timber post measuring circa 30cm by 30cm; it retained full sapwood and bark edge and bore chopmarks on its upper surface. Using tree-ring dating, the felling date of this timber was precisely dated to spring AD 1161. Five other oak timbers were sampled for dendrochronological analysis and provided dates broadly contemporary with the square post. As the the Priory was established in 1134, significantly these preserved timbers potentially represent the earliest phase of monastic buildings and are also indicative of the quality of organic remains that may well survive elsewhere within the complex.

Small expanses of probable surface metalling were encountered towards the north end of the area occupied by the timber structure described above. These spreads of small, angular fragments of red sandstone were almost certainly related but were physically divorced from each other due to the later insertion of the masonry foundation work to the west range building. The postulated surface extended over an area measuring c. 3m x 6m and was noted either side of the post trench.