Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

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47
HERN'S CLOSE
Excavation of the buildings uncovered in
1974(Nos. 4, 5 and 6) was completed and about
3400 sq.m were cleared, half by hand and half
by machine, across the N. side of the field.
The remainder of the field was also trenched
by machine to search for any outlying buildings,
of which 11 were uncovered.
EARLY FEATURES
Before excavation it was hoped that this
site would produce evidence of late Saxon
occupation, as Great Linford is thought to
have a Saxon charter. However, evidence of
occupation in this period has been slight,
only a scatter of late Saxon sherds in the
area of buildings 5, 6 and 14 on the surface
of the natural clay subsoil. A number of
post-holes and beam slots cut into natural
beneath buildings 5 and 6 produced no dating
evidence, and may be connected with these
later stone buildings. The only definite
Saxon features were two ,V1 section ditches,
35cm across, aligned E.-W., to the S. of
building 14. Near these, on the subsoil, was
found a large sherd of a Stamford Ware spouted
pitcher.
in destruction levels and a rubbish tip on the
S. yard occupation appears to have continued
into the 017th.
Building 9
Like Building 8, this structure has been
almost completely removed and was only identified
by the surrounding yard edges and the internal
floor of crushed fossiliferous limestone.
This 017th building measured 13m x
5.5m. No internal features were noted, but
a well-laid pitched stone, path 1.2m wide led
N.
Building 10
A substantial five-bay building, dating
from the 013th, 22.5m x 5m. The W. bay, which
had been cut by a(c.C18th) drainage ditch,
contained a square stone hearth and the E.
central bay a circular stone-lined oven, 1.2m
dia., set into the floor. The E. bay was surfaced'with
pitched stone. A ditch running
along the S. side of the building yielded
quantities of PottersPury and other
C13th-C14th sherds.
THE BUILDINGS
Building 5
The two-bay C17th building excavated last
year was shown to have a third bay at its W.
end, making the structure 17m x 5.5m. Built
onto the N. side of this bay was a further
room, measuring 3m x 3m. In the angle between
this room and the main building was a stone
structure 2.4m x 1.5m, tentatively identified
as a staircase.
To the W. of Building 5 a further Cl7th
building (Building 7), 8m x 5.5m, was uncovered.
This appears to have been an outbuilding
associated with Building 5.
Building 8
This building, which measured 1.-5m x 6m,
had been badly robbed, and was idLntified on
the ground by the edges of the surrounding
yard. It contained a well-built flagged
hearth in its E. bay and a rough lean-to, represented
by four post-holes, was built onto
its E. end. The earliest pottery from this
building was 014th, but from scattered sherds
Building 11
Situated 3m N. of Building 10 and separated
from it by a cobbled yard, this building measured
13m x 5.5m. In its N.E. corner was a
rectangular kiln (malt?) 1.2m x 1.6m, with a
stokehole at its W. end and stone walls,
battered outwards. A flagged,path ran down
the centre of the western bay, cutting a substantial
stone wall which may have been the
original end of the building. From the finds,
this building is contemporary with Building
10, for which it was probably the kitchen/
brewhouse.
Building 12
Approximately 17m x 5.5m, this building was
badly damaged by robbing, and a 019th pond
system. Pottery and a quantity of tile found
in destruction le-rels points to'the continued
existence of this C13th building into the 017ti.
Bnilding 13
A small building, 8m x 6m, to the N.of
Building 8, mud sealed by a post-medieval
surface in the yard of Building 8. Inside the ,