| Abstract: |
The site of La Grava (known locally as Grove Priory) lies on the border between historic Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, south of Leighton Buzzard. Much of the core of the site and elements of its associated field closes (1.85ha of an area of 7.8ha) was excavated in advance of quarrying between 1973 and 1985, making it one of the most extensive projects on a monastic/manorial site in the UK in the 20th century. Excavations of the area of earthworks were initiated originally on the basis of this being the site of La Grava, an alien priory of the Order of Fontevrault in Anjou. However, evidence from all periods, from the Mesolithic onwards, was recovered from the site. Occupation began with a planned settlement of probable Romano-British origin. During the 10th century the estate was a Saxon Royal Manor, held by the Scandinavians at some point. The site lay close to the boundary of the Danelaw and to Yttingaford, scene of a treaty with the Danes in AD906. The royal hall for the Domesday Royal Manor of Leighton may have been located at La Grava, although a survey in 1155 recorded that the agricultural portion of the complex was in a rundown state requiring partial rebuilding. In 1164 the site was granted to the Order of Fontevrault in Anjou, in lieu of an annual cash payment dating from the time of Henry I in 1129. The Order invested heavily in the existing estate of c 208ha, with the aim of generating income for the impoverished mother house. There was considerable royal and ecclesiastical interest in the site, allowing improvements to existing high-status masonry buildings and development of a large agricultural estate in the early 13th century. The site became the residence of the Procurator of the Order in England; formal permission for a chapel and sepulture was granted in 1220. There were over 50 royal visits in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. During the Hundred Years War (1337–1453), La Grava reverted to a lay establishment in the hands of high-ranking royal women. The late medieval complex, based around a large, timber-framed manor house, was probably built after 1413 by Alice de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk (grand-daughter of Geoffrey Chaucer). Much of the site was laid down to grass in the 15th century, thus preserving the remains of many of the buildings. Ownership later passed through both Eton College and the Dean and Canons of St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The site was abandoned in the late 16th century when a new dwelling house – Grovebury – was built on the other side of the boundary stream. The last surviving masonry structure was the chapel, originally a chamber block from the time of Henry I. A number of features make the excavations at La Grava of considerable significance. Not only was it possible to excavate a significant proportion of the core of the site, but in many places the remains were stratified, an unusual feature for a rural site. In addition, the large scale of the excavations made it possible to identify not only a considerable degree of continuity of settlement from at least the late Saxon period, but also a considerable degree of spatial planning in the layout and development of the various phases of the site. The large scale of the project has resulted in the synthetic description of the site presented in this volume, supported by an extensive Digital Supplement which includes the specialists’ reports on artefacts and ecofacts, available through the Archaeology Data Service (DOI: 10.5284/1020234). |
