Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

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remaining N. half of the W. side and the N.
side and N. arm were back filled. A bank
probably constructed of excavated material
from the moat sealed Building 1 (Phase II) and
ran N. to the site of Building 3 (Phase II)
which was sealed by the erection, on top of
its rcbbed walls, of a new rectangular dovecote,
Building 1, 6m x 4.5m internally.and
with walls lm thick.
On the N. side of this building a stone
yard was drained by a well constructed stone
drain which ran W. for 40m. This building was
demolished in the mid Cl9th, pottery of that
date occurring in the destruction levels.
Building 2
The Aisled Barn (Phase II, Building 2),
continued in use until the early Cl9th. It is
shown on a 1792 estate map but not on the
Tithe Award map of 1839. .
The Cow Pit
In an almost central position within Dovecote
Close, a pit 4m x 2m and lm deep contained
the articulated skeletons of eight cows,
two of which were in calf. Pottery evidence
from the pit dates it to the late Cl5th -
early Cl6th. These must belong to a small
herd which died as a result of an epidemic and
were buried immediately. An assemblage of
this type and date is rare and is currently
being analysed.
Moat House
This is, a stone .structure with a date
stone over the door bearing the inscription
1T.M. 1784', Thomas Mercer acquired the
Manor of Bradwell in the mid Cl8th and rebuilt
or restored the house. The Antiquary,
Browne Willis, who-visited it before 1760
described this as a "good sized comfortable
cottage, the remains of the Ancient Manor.
House",
BRADWELL
To the N.W. of the Bradwell Bury moated
site and on the S. side of the sunken lane
leading from the village to the Abbey, an
isolated medieval building was revealed when
the Sportsfield site was levelled in June
1975. The rectangular stone building 10m x
4.5m, aligned E.-7W, had walls 0.75m thick.
The floor was of clay apart from the E. 2m
which were paved and drained into a central
gulley. In the centre of the clay floor was
a rectangular hearth, 1.5m x 1.2m, of large
pebbles with limestone revetting.
Pottery from the floor was of Cl3th - Cl4th.
Outside the building on the yard surface to
the S. was founda complete Penn floor tile.
LOUGHTON (MK.M152)
Roadworks associated with the contruction
of the Loughton Valley Trunk Foul Sewer cut
through a rectangular house platform. the N.
aide of a water leet which ran from a nearby
moat and associated fishpond. The leet narroWed
as it ran by the platform suggesting
that it may have been deliberately channelled.
Rescue excavation of the platform revealed
traces of a building 6m x 4.2m aligned N.-S.
The largely robbed footings were of limestone
and large pebbles, with traces of a central
hearth. On the floor was a considerable a-.
mount of late C14th - Cl5th pottery. No
evidence was found of any industrial use.
BRADWELL PRIORY
FUrther excavation to the S.E. of the
Chapel revealed the robber trench, 1..8m wide,
-of the W. wall, of the Priory Church. The
wall was totally robbed but a buttress, which
had been in line with the S. arcade, remained.
The nave was approximately 8.5m wide, and
traces of its mortar floor remained.. Fragments
of Little Bricknill floor tiles, window
glass, lead and pottery were found.
GREAT LINFORD, SMITH'S CLOSE
During the construction of old people's:
flats in Smith's Close, Great Linford, a medieval
building N.-S., 6m wide, uncovered during
topsoil removal, was excavated. Only the
S., E. and W. walls were excavated as the N.
wall had already been destroyed. The building,
6m wide, hae? a minimum length of 7.5m
but observation of the destruction trench
suggested a total length of some 12m. The
three remaining walls, which had all been
robbed down to floor level, were c.0.5m wide.
The internal-floor was of tacked clay with a
strip of rough stone paving running along its
centre. Pottery suggested occupation in the
Cl4th - Cl5th.