Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

17dense areas of collapsed and robbed buildings. Three ranges of post-medievalbuildings were recognized, together with many modifications and extensions.They probably represent the farm which replaced the priory. They haveflimsy carstone footings laid directly onto the previous ground surface, andwould have carried timber superstructures. The large quantities of ceramicroof-tiles overlying them indicate the roofing material. Two of the rangesappear to have been domestic, and contained hearths. The third may havebeen a stable block or dairy. Pottery ranging from the C15th to C17th wasassociated with them, together with a great many iron objects. These latebuildings are partly re-using the more substantial footings of earlierstructures, and even the terraced cobbled yards incorporate levelled walls.The medieval pattern of walls appearing beneath the post-medievalsequences is becoming extremely complex. At present there is no discernibleconventional monastic plan. Even the position of the church is not certain,though a possible monastic graveyard, bounded by a stone wall on its westernlimit, is situated to the S of a large rectangular building discoveredin 1975. Already it is clear that there are several periods of major stonebuildings, with re-building and modification. One broad foundation mayhave been turned 'inside out', with its external face providing an internalone at a later date.Work will continue on this important and productive area until spring.OXFORD, Paradise Street -Oxford University Archaeological SocietyExcavation of two trial trenches to discover if there were any occupationlayers or waterfronts between the castle and the Isis was carriedout by the Oxford University Archaeological Society.The first trench exposed some evidence of C11th occupation as a thickclay daub spread. This had been flooded and covered by river silts untilthe C14th when a building of sleeper wall construction was erected andoccupied. This structure was then covered by soil deposits and finally bybuildings and rubbish of the C19th brewery.The second trench exposed a number of river walls. The first consistingof a line of posts (c15cm. diameter) of C14th date. In the C15th astone wall with facing stones on the riverside, superceded the wooden postsand probably lasted until it was robbed to provide stones for an C18th walland towpath. This wall formed the footing for the present river wall, whichalso shows several re-builds up to the C19th.The field survey group of the Society has discovered an Iron Age siteand investigated the extent of plough damage to the Roman Villa in CumnorParish.The Oxford University Archaeological Society hopes to continue excavatingin and around Oxford and also hopes to complete the field survey ofthe Parish of Cumnor.SEGENHOE CHURCH, RIDGEMONT, Bedfordshire - John BaileyRegular visits have been made during 1977, following the completemeasure5dsurvey of this derelict church made by the group in 1975, to noteadditional details that are revealed as plaster falls from the walls as aresult of weathering.