| Title: |
Archaeological Watching Brief at Ferry Nab, Ferry Lane, Medmenham, Buckinghamshire |
| Series: |
John Moore Heritage Services unpublished report series
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| Downloads: |
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johnmoor1-144954_1.pdf (2 MB)
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| Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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| DOI |
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| Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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| Abstract: |
Excavation of the various Areas within the proposal area was carried out by the
contractor with a 5-tonne 360° excavator under archaeological supervision. The initial
work was carried out in April and May 2012 to the front of the house with further work
carried out in October 2012.
A strategy involving an evaluation trench was proposed and accepted by the
groundworkers for the following stage strip for the new swimming pool to the west of the
house, in order to assess the archaeological potential and to mitigate any potential delays
to the construction work. The watching brief carried out at Ferry Nab revealed evidence for an early medieval
outbuilding, such as a barn, probably within the abbey precinct. The limited view, and the significant impact caused by previous truncation means that a full understanding of
the structure is not possible. Although there was no clear indication of internal floors
present within the intervention area, given the extent of truncation and the real probability
that any floors would have been earthen, it is very possible that the scrappy surfaces
present were indeed occupation layers.
Pottery from the wall fabric indicates that the building dated from after the late 12th
century, which broadly concurs with the founding of Medmenham Abbey in AD 1200 ×
1201 by King John, as a cell of Woburn Abbey (VCH 1925). However, the work carried
out by Michael Farley (2001) indicated the possibility of there being earlier activity in the
form of burials on site. It is possible that this chalk-founded building might be slightly
earlier than the founding of the abbey, although this cannot be asserted unequivocally.
The limited amount of chalk dumping found within and around the east side of the
structure represents upstanding part of the walls. As the width of the wall is only 0.5m
and did not appear to have been particularly well-bonded, it is more than likely that the
super-structure of the building was timber-framed, which was certainly the case if it had
been a two-storied structure.
It is worth noting that the internal floor levels yielded pottery from the late 12th to 13th
century, which again corresponds with the foundation of the abbey, but does not confirm
or contradict the possibility of the barn construction preceding the foundation of the
abbey. The pottery as an assemblage only contains a single sherd of glazed Ashampstead
ware, indicative of a 13th-century date or later; the rest of the pottery is unglazed and
therefore less diagnostic. It is possible that the sherd of Ashampstead ware is associated
with the demolition phase of the building. The precise functional relationship with the
abbey remains enigmatic.
To the north and front of the house investigations revealed a thick deposit of chalk
rubble, which is undoubtedly that which was observed in previous interventions (Jenkins
& Taylor 2004, Williams 2010). Previously a late 19th- to early 20th-century date of the
chalk dump was inferred from pottery found during piling. The chalk dump sealed a
possible half-cellar for a building not shown on any 19th-century mapping.
The 1973 OS 1:2500 map shows a turning area in front of the house with what appears to
be sub-circular flower-bed within which is a square structure. It is not absolutely
certain whether this is a WWII shelter, but as the location is close to the house, this is
certainly a strong possibility. This provides the most satisfactory explanation, in the
absence of documentary sources for the half-cellared structure, located at a small distance
from the front of the house. The presence of a shed or similar in the turning area of the
house would be unsightly, explicable only if it had a civil defence purpose.
In this case some of the chalk rubble dumps encountered must date from after 1973, even
if they are only redeposited. |
| Author: |
A Čelovský
G Williams
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| Publisher: |
John Moore Heritage Services
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| Year of Publication: |
2012
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| Locations: |
| District: |
Buckinghamshire |
| Country: |
England |
| Parish: |
Medmenham |
| County: |
Buckinghamshire |
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Grid Reference: 480609, 183819 (Easting, Northing)
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| Subjects / Periods: |
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SHERD
(Object England)
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MEDIEVAL SHERD
(Tag)
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BUILDING
(Monument Type England)
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MEDIEVAL BUILDING
(Tag)
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WALL
(Monument Type England)
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MEDIEVAL WALL
(Tag)
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FLOOR
(Monument Type England)
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20TH CENTURY FLOOR
(Tag)
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WATCHING BRIEF
(Event)
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20TH CENTURY
(Historic England Periods)
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MEDIEVAL
(Historic England Periods)
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| Identifiers: |
| OASIS Id: |
johnmoor1-144954 |
| OBIB: |
Report Number: 2611 |
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| Note: |
This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.
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| Source: |
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| Relations: |
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| Created Date: |
19 May 2022 |
