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OASIS Report(s)
Biddulph, E,Teague, S (2019). Saxon, Jewish, Later Medieval and Post-Medieval Occupation on St Aldates and Queen Street, Oxford. Oxford Archaeology: Oxford. https://doi.org/10.5284/1089559. | Go to report |
Title: 114-119 St Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford: Insect remains from occupation deposit 10013 Filename: OXSTAD16_114-119_St_Aldates_Insect_Report.pdf (130 kB) Description: Excavations by Oxford Archaeology South (OAS) at 114-119 St Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford (NGR SP 51320 06130) mainly provided evidence of medieval occupation and activity in one of the oldest and grandest parts of the city. During the 12th and 13th centuries the site formed part of the Jewish quarter of Oxford and two of the more substantial land holdings, corresponding approximately with 114-119 St Aldates, were in Jewish ownership. Two smaller properties held by the Bishop of Lichfield fronted onto Queen Street. By the 14th century all the properties were under Christian control following the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290. The types of deposits and features uncovered are consistent with backyards in which refuse from a succession of properties was dumped (Teague 2017). One sub-sample from a waterlogged occupation deposit (10013) assigned to the 13th to 14th century (Phase 4) was submitted for examination of insect remains. |
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Title: Teague, S.
(2017)
114-119 St. Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford: Post Excavation assessment.
Oxford Archaeology
Filename: OXSTAD16_PX_Assessment.pdf (2 MB) Description: Excavations undertaken at 114-119 St Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford, shed light on some of the oldest and grandest parts of the medieval city. The earliest archaeology identified appeared to be a backyard surface through which a series of later rubbish pits, dating to the late Saxon and early Norman period, had been cut. The pits contained pottery and bone fragments, denoting general rubbish, as well as the raked-out fuel waste from ovens, fires and hearths. There were also frequent sediments which had the distinctive green colour typical of faecal material, either from humans or animals. A square stone-lined cess pit cut through the rubbish pits. The pit contained a rich assemblage of 12th-13thͲcentury pottery, animal bone and other domestic material. The well-constructed nature of the pit suggests that it was associated with a house of a wealthy individual. It is known that, during this period, the site was occupied by four properties. Two of the more substantial land holdings were in Jewish ownership and approximately correspond to the modern 114 to 119 St Aldates. Two much smaller properties, held by the Bishop of Lichfield, fronted on to Queen Street. A stone-built structure, part of a below-ground cellar, lay to the east of the cess pit. The later fills of the cellar contained a small assemblage of late 15th-16th century pottery, which included stoneware jugs and an intact small drinking vessel. It is possible that the cellar belonged to one of the number of taverns that fronted St Aldates and Queen Street. The type of deposits and features found during the excavation are consistent with backyards in which rubbish from a succession of properties – grand buildings, commercial properties, smaller dwellings and workshops – was dumped. This assessment presents the preliminary findings of the fieldwork, specifies what further post-excavation recording and analysis are required, and assesses the potential of the results to address research questions and contribute to a better understanding particularly of Oxford’s Saxon origins, its Jewish Quarter and historic inns and taverns. |
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Title:
Oxford Archaeology
(2015)
114-119 St. Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford: Written Scheme of Investigation.
Oxford Archaeology
Filename: OXSTAD16_WSI_test_pits.pdf (1 MB) Description: Written Scheme of Investigation for archaeological test pits at the site of a proposed redevelopment of land at 114-119 St. Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford. |
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Title:
Oxford Archaeology
(2016)
114-119 St. Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford: Written Scheme of Investigation for Archaeological excavation, strip, map and sample and watching brief.
Oxford Archaeology
Filename: OXSTAD16_Excavation_WSI.pdf (187 kB) Description: Written Scheme of Investigation for the archaeological excavation, strip, map and sample and watching brief undertaken as an archaeological programme of mitigation works at the site of a proposed redevelopment at 114-119 St. Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford. |
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Title: Clay Tobacco Pipes from Excavations at 114-119 St Aldate's and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford Filename: OXSTAD16_114-119_St_Aldates_Clay_Tobacco_...rt.pdf (79 kB) Description: This report deals with the clay tobacco pipes recovered during an archaeological excavation undertaken at 114-119 St Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street by Oxford Archaeology between March and April 2016. The site code used for the excavations was OXSTAD16. During the Medieval period the area examined comprised backyards behind buildings on the street frontages. In the Post-Medieval period these plots were subdivided and occupied by buildings and yards, with evidence that there were taverns in the vicinity. An assessment report and context summary were prepared for Oxford Archaeology in June 2017, with this final report being prepared in September 2018. |
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Title: Glass tables 1-3 Filename: OXSTAD16_glass_PostEX_Table_1-3.pdf (306 kB) Description: Tables for the glass finds report |
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Title: Organic residue analysis of pottery from two medieval sites in the City of Oxford: a comparative analysis of pottery from the ‘Jewish Quarter’ at St Aldates and Queen’s College site Filename: OXSTAD16_114-119_St_Aldates_ORA_Report.pdf (404 kB) Description: A total of thirty sherds were sampled for lipid analysis, fifteen from the St Aldates Jewish Quarter phases 3 and 4 and the remaining fifteen from Queen’s College site. The results indicated that these were vessels which were subjected to sustained use in the processing of high lipid-yielding commodities. |
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Title: Oxford St Aldates Fired Clay Filename: OXSTAD16_FC-mortar_report.pdf (103 kB) Description: A small quantity of fired clay, amounting to 221 fragments weighing 856g from hand excavation and 52 fragments weighing 258g from sieved samples, was recovered from areas 1, 3, 4 and 10. This comprised structural material and two personal artefacts. |
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Title: Oxford, St Aldates. Ceramic Building Material Filename: OXSTAD16_114-119_St_Aldates_CBM_Report.pdf (59 kB) Description: A large quantity of ceramic building material (CBM) amounting to some 1262 fragments weighing 120kg was recovered by hand excavation from a variety of contexts. Medieval roof tile constitutes the majority of the assemblage, most of which was found in phases 3 and 4 (late 11th -14th century). A small quantity of other forms were found in later phase deposits and include 68 fragments (c 25kg) of post-medieval date. Much of this was brick ranging from to Tudor to 20th-century engineering bricks made in typical post-medieval red sandy fabric. The remaining post-medieval CBM, mainly of late 18th- to early 20th-century date, consisted of paving bricks or paviours, floor tile, stoneware sewer pipes and glazed bathroom type wall tile. No complete objects, apart from a few bricks from phase 8 demolition rubble, were recovered, though a small number of complete lengths and breadths were recorded for the medieval roof tile. The mean fragment weight of 91g is high for an assemblage dominated by rooftile, which with the relatively low abrasion present may indicate fairly rapid deposition in features or deposits following disuse and demolition, with little later disturbance or attrition of deposits. This report focuses on the medieval tile with only brief reference to later material. Some additional details of the post-medieval assemblage may be found in the archive. |
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Title: Oxford, St Aldates. Glass Filename: OXSTAD16_glass_PostEX_Text.pdf (97 kB) Description: The glass assemblage is small but has some interesting elements. The glass has been identified to form, quantified by sherd count and recorded onto an Excel spreadsheet. The assemblage comprises just 103 fragments, of which 20 are unstratified. The glass comprises mainly vessel glass, but does include 14 pieces of window glass. Almost half the assemblage by number comprises wine bottle sherds. |
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Title: Pottery from St Aldates, Oxford Filename: OXSTAD16_114-119_St_Aldates_Pottery_Report.pdf (114 kB) Description: Analysis of the pottery assemblage comprised 2028 sherds of Post Roman pottery recovered from 114-119 St Aldates. |
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Title: Biddulph, E., Champness, C., Teague, S.
(2019)
Saxon, Jewish, Later Medieval and Post‐Medieval occupation on St Aldates and Queen Street, Oxford.
Oxford Archaeology
Filename: OXSTAD16_publication_report.pdf (3 MB) Description: Excavations at 114-19 St Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford, shed light on some of the oldest and grandest parts of the medieval city. The earliest evidence comprised sunken floors and pits that date to the middle/late Saxon period. The evidence, relating to wooden buildings, predates the Saxon burh, which was founded by the early tenth century. A series of later rubbish pits dating to the late Saxon and early Norman period was cut through this horizon. The pits contained pottery and bone fragments, representing general rubbish, as well as faecal material and the raked-out fuel waste from ovens, fires and hearths. A stone-lined latrine cut through the rubbish pits. The latrine contained a rich assemblage of twelfth- or early thirteenth-century pottery, animal bone and other domestic material. The well-constructed nature of the feature suggests that it was associated with a house of a wealthy individual. It is known that during this period part of the site was in Jewish ownership, and this is supported by the faunal remains and organic residues on pottery, which are consistent with Jewish dietary laws. A stone-built structure, part of a below-ground cellar, lay to the east of the latrine. The later fills of the cellar contained a small assemblage of fifteenth- or sixteenth-century pottery, which almost exclusively comprised drinking vessels that are likely to have derived from Battes Inn (by then known as the Fleur de Luce) that fronted St Aldates. Another latrine, of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century date, contained an assemblage of pottery, vessel glass, clay pipes and fruit remains that indicate wealthy inhabitants here during this time. Subsequent levels were poorly preserved owing to modern truncation. |
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Title: The Plant Remains from 114-119 St Aldates and 4-5 Queen Street, Oxford Filename: OXSTAD16_114-119_St_Aldates_Plant_Remains...rt.pdf (148 kB) Description: During excavations at 114-119 St Aldates/4-5 Queen Street, Oxford, environmental bulk soil samples were collected from late Saxon through to post-medieval deposits for the potential recovery of macro-plant remains and information on crop husbandry and diet and the nature of activities taking place across the site. |
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